Eliminating drugs, militancy impossible for police alone: IGP

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque this afternoon said that it is not possible for police alone to eliminate drugs and militancy from the country.

The IGP said this at a press briefing organised on the inauguration of new media centre and Police Week 2018 at police headquarters in Dhaka around 1:30pm.

The main problem of drugs in the country is yaba and its supply from Myanmar which is very tough to stop as Bangladesh shares 90-100km of its border with the country, the IGP said in answer to a question during the briefing.

But the rate of cases filed regarding yaba recovery from year 2013 to 2017, which is 287254, shows that police is succeeding, the IGP added.

Even police officials have not been spared for their connection with drugs, IGP also said.

From last year the IGP initiated a programme to do drug taste on new recruits for police.

“If the drug taste comes positive, we do not recruit that person in the police force” AKM Shahidul Hoque added.

About curbing militancy, when asked, Shahidul said, “Police have been alert since the incident of Holey Artisan.”

Stating that police have conducted more than 35 anti-militancy operations during last year, the IGP said the problem of militancy has been brought under control by Bangladesh police.