CMP to get counter terrorism unit

Similar to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) is going to introduce a full-fledged counter terrorism (CT) unit for Chittagong region with an aim to expedite the ongoing drives against militants and terror-related activities.

CMP officials said forming a full-fledged CT unit is a timely move as Chittagong is geographically vulnerable to militancy.

In the past, law enforcers busted several hideouts of banned militant outfits including Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh (Huji), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in the region, they said. 

Considering the need, a proposal for the formation of CT unit under CMP's jurisdiction has already been sent to the police headquarters in Dhaka in July seeking additional manpower, said CMP sources.

The sources said a post of additional deputy commissioner (ADC) has already been created with an executive order in January 2017 for the CT unit. However, the unit will be headed by a deputy commissioner (DC).

Currently, several police personnel have been working against militancy, cyber crimes, militant financing and mobile banking-related crimes under the supervision of the newly-created post of ADC, added the CMP sources.   

Talking to The Daily Star, CMP Commissioner Iqbal Bahar said, “The proposal for a full-fledged CT unit has been sent to police headquarters for approval…”

Police are going to get a nationwide Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit within months under the leadership of an additional inspector general of police (IGP) with its headquarters in Dhaka; the proposed CT unit of CMP will work in coordination with the CTTC upon getting the approval, said the CMP boss.

According to the CMP proposal, the existing bomb disposal unit and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) will work under the proposed CT unit, which will have two other separate teams named CT (intelligence) and CT (operation). Each of the four teams will be led by an ADC, with a DC at the helm of the full-fledged CT unit, the sources added.

As per the proposal, there will be six assistant commissioners, four inspectors, 20 sub-inspectors, 14 assistant sub-inspectors, six nayeks, 44 constables, a stenographer, a computer operator, two office assistants, four cooks and four sweepers at the unit.

ADC Mirza Sayem Mahmud of CMP's bomb disposal unit, who took part in several operations against militants, told The Daily Star, “We have been working against militancy alongside other regular activities. It (formation of CT) will boost our activities against militancy..."

Apart from that, CMP has also sought 2,389 more personnel for strengthening its activities as CMP is reeling from manpower crisis, said some top officials of CMP. On October 5, 2015, Detective Branch (DB) of CMP busted a JMB hideout in the city's Khoajnagor area and arrested five militants including Towfiqul Islam Javed, military wing commander of the organisation's Chittagong region, along with nine handmade grenades and ammunitions.

Later, on December 27, 2015, a JMB den was busted in Amanbazar area under Hathazari upazila by the DB police. Police arrested three suspected JMB operatives and recovered one MK-11 sniper rifle, bullets and a huge amount of bomb-making materials.

On March 16, 2017, police busted two JMB dens in Sitakunda upazila where a militant couple was captured alive from one of the dens. Four persons including a woman and a child were killed in a suicide blast during the operation.