Be ready for the election
IGP tells officers, as law and order situation may worsen
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun yesterday instructed field-level officers to be prepared to face challenges centring the next general election, as law and order may deteriorate in the coming days.
The instruction came on the last day of the two-day quarterly crime conference, attended by superintendents of police (SP) of all districts, range deputy inspector generals, all metropolitan police commissioners, and top police officials.
The event was held at the capital's Rajarbagh Police Auditorium.
Earlier on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal exchanged views with the officials at the conference and warned that if programmes of political parties cause public sufferings, law enforcers will take necessary actions.
"We are not interfering in any political party's meetings. We will not obstruct their political programmes. But if anyone causes public suffering in the name of political programmes, action has to be taken," said an officer, quoting the minister.
At the conference, several SPs demanded a stop to central procurement of medicines and furniture for around 80 police units, including district police, meeting sources said.
Earlier, heads of units would get around Tk 80 crore annually for procuring medicine for force members and their family, but the immediate past IGP Benazir Ahmed centralised procurement to stop irregularities.
However, around 25 to 30 percent of the medicine procurement fund is given to the units as emergency allocation for buying drugs not supplied by Police Headquarters (PHQ).
The annual fund earmarked for furniture could not be ascertained.
The SPs argued that since most of the medicine is given centrally, many medicines remain unused and get damaged.
Wishing anonymity, an SP said PHQ does not spend all the money earmarked for procuring medicines, but the quantity of medicines seems sufficient enough now, which implies that corruption was present earlier.
The IGP, who chaired the conference, said he will look into the matter and decide.
On Tuesday, IGP Mamun expressed concern, saying that earlier, only constables were found involved in drug-related crimes, but now even inspectors are getting involved, the meeting sources said.
Crime statistics placed at the conference showed that murders, robberies and thefts rose in the last three months, from June to September, compared to numbers of the previous quarter (March to May).