New DIG looking to revamp Chattogram police

Anwar Hossain, who assumed office as deputy inspector general (DIG) of Chattogram Range of police on September 6, said he would not allow any unethical behaviour by any police officers and would take stern action against the offenders.

"As a senior officer, I will try to control my fleet so that they work in compliance with the law and maintain a good relationship with people," he said while talking to The Business Standard recently at his office,

He also spoke on Teknaf Model police station's suspended officer-in-charge (OC) Pradeep Kumar Das who has been arrested over Major (retd) Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan's murder. Several cases have also been lodged against Pradeep on charges of extra judicial killings.

Anwar Hossain said, "Bangladesh Police has a huge fleet consisting around 210,000 members. One or two members have behaved unprofessionally, but we will not back any unethical behaviour by any police officers in future."

"There is a code of conduct and if anyone fails to comply with it, we will take action against him. Those who have committed crimes are being prosecuted under the existing law. We will not deviate from our original goal," he added.

Anwar Hossain said he could not confirm whether there was a lack of monitoring by the senior officers, which might have allowed Pradeep Kumar Das to operate in an unruly fashion, as he was not working in Chattogram at that time.

"However, the officers who did this are facing trial. Cases have been filed against them and the matter is currently under investigation," he added.

Asked about what he would do to prevent such incidents in the future, the Chattogram DIG said he would ensure strong monitoring.

He visited the Teknaf Police Station on the very first day of assuming office as the Chattogram DIG and informed the officials of their goal, mission and way of work. Later, he visited other police stations in different districts.

Anwar Hossain reiterated, "There is no confusion. We have laws and we ensure law and order. How we will maintain law and order has also been stated in the law. We will not go beyond it."

saying that a police station is the property of people, he said, "We have read in the media that people were barred from entering the Teknaf Police Station.  I have opened everything. For the development of the management of the police station, I have assigned an additional SP [superintendent of police] who will visit the police station every day to ensure the easy access of the people."  

The newly appointed DIG of Chattogram also spoke about his plan to talk to local people about methods to control drug peddling in Teknaf, which is a drug-prone area.

"Local people know better than us," said the veteran police official, adding, "We are requesting people to give us information by making them realise that if drugs enter Bangladesh, all people will be affected."  

"We have to develop barriers there so that drugs cannot spread all over the country. They should be stopped in Teknaf. People from all walks of life, irrespective of their professions, should come forward to stop this," he said.

He also plans to arrange campaigns to raise awareness about the bad effects of drugs among the local people.

Regarding bribery at the police stations, he said, "Let me know if anyone is involved in taking bribes at a police station and we will take action."

Asked about the extrajudicial killings in Cox's Bazar, he said, "I was not here at that time, so I cannot answer this question. But during my tenure everything will be done according to the law."

Talking about his goals, Anwar Hossain said, "We attach the highest importance to professionalism during dealing with the people. We will emphasise professionalism in every sphere of life and while dealing with all people."

The Chattogram DIG said they are trying their best to develop the quality of services.

Mentioning that there are 23,000 members in the Chattogram Range but the offices are still keeping their records manually even in this modern world, he said, "We are bringing this management system under technology. Within one month we will be able to do it," said the DIG.

He also mentioned that the district police's communication system in remote areas is weak compared to that in metro areas.