They said most of the officers recently transferred to the DMP are unfamiliar with Dhaka’s maze of lanes.

With the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, several Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stations and facilities, like many others across the country, faced attacks, looting, vandalism and fires criminals.

To restructure this devastated police force, the caretaker government then launched various reforms, including the dismissal of many senior officers and massive transfers.

However, law and order in the capital is yet to stabilize, with the DMP apparently struggling to return to its previous form and performance level.

According to DMP data, 68 murders took place in the last two months. At least 192 murder cases have been filed, most of which relate to incidents that occurred before August 5. In addition, 10 cases of theft, 35 cases of assault, 37 cases of kidnapping and 81 cases of burglary were recorded.

Regarding the current state of the DMP and law and order situation in the city, this reporter spoke to the officers in charge of five police stations in Dhaka Metropolitan Area and two deputy commissioners of police.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said most of the officers recently transferred to the DMP are unfamiliar with Dhaka’s maze of lanes. They also face a significantly higher workload than in their previous districts, as well as a shortage of staff and vehicles.

In addition, the fear of prosecution linked to the July massacre still hangs over members of the police, preventing them from fully returning to their previous level of efficiency, they added.

Several police officers have already been arrested in connection with the shooting during student protests. Recently, the International Criminal Court requested information about DMP officers who were on duty during the student-led uprising.

A senior DMP officer told TBS that many officers who were on duty during the student protests are still in Dhaka. The request for information addressed to the Tribunal created a feeling of fear among them. There are concerns about potential lawsuits, transfers and even job losses.

“With such pressure, it is difficult to work efficiently,” he added.

The police headquarters recently started re-verifying police officers who were recruited during the tenure of the Awami League government through five BCS exams.

One of the officers recruited during the AL regime, who works in a division of the DMP, said: “Our family has no political affiliation, but the situation is such that all those who were recruited during this period are considered aligned with the Awami League. rechecking created a feeling of fear. »

Requesting anonymity, he added: “If I lose my job now, it will be very difficult to support my family.”

Labor and vehicle crisis

There is also a shortage of vehicles at police stations under the DMP after a large number of police cars were set on fire and vandalized during the unrest. Where there used to be 6 to 7 vehicles per station, there are now only 3 to 4. Most of these vehicles are old.

The officer-in-charge of Jatrabari police station under the DMP said last week: “We have four vehicles. One was provided by the DMP after August 5 and the other two were borrowed from Tejgaon police station.

Khaled Mansur, in-charge of Shahbagh police station, mentioned that due to transfers, there was a shortage of police officers at the station. “We don’t have enough police officers, although many have been affected. I hope the situation will improve once everyone shows up for duty.”

Most units under the DMP have not yet overcome the shortage of officers. In all eight divisions of the Detective Branch and Traffic Police, it was not possible to appoint a deputy commissioner for each. As a result, a deputy commissioner currently supervises two divisions.

According to the organizational structure of DB Ramna Division, there should be one deputy commissioner, three additional deputy commissioners and two assistant commissioners.

However, almost three months after the policy change, only one additional deputy commissioner and one additional deputy commissioner have been appointed. Additionally, a deputy commissioner supervises the Ramna and Motijheel divisions.

Adaptation challenges in Dhaka

An SI transferred from Rajshahi to DMP said, “I am having some difficulty getting familiar with the roads of Dhaka. In Rajshahi, I knew everything well, so there were no problems. But here, it’s difficult to adapt to the capital, and the workload is overwhelming.

He added: “Once the situation stabilizes, I hope to leave.”

Another SI transferred from Khagrachhari to Ramna division shared, “This is my first time in Dhaka, and everything here is new. The workload is also much heavier.

A police officer transferred from Sirajganj said, “It is difficult to arrest criminals here as police stations now have almost no informers.

Home Affairs Advisor Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury recently acknowledged that the transferred police officers were indeed having difficulty adapting to the Dhaka environment.

Qualified labor crisis in the specialized units of the DMP

The DMP has a specialized unit called Combating Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC). Members of this unit are specially trained in bomb disposal and cybersecurity issues. Recently, many police officers from this unit have also been transferred.

A senior officer of the unit, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TBS in the first week of this month: “New officers are joining various CTTC divisions, and many of their subordinates are also new . We will need to arrange additional specialist training. for them.”

He asked: “For officers who have received specialized training at government expense, how much of that expertise will they be able to apply in other districts?

He added that if terrorism resurfaces in the new situation, members of the unit will face challenges.

The DMP additional commissioner and CTTC chief could not be reached over phone for comment on the issues.

Speaking to TBS yesterday, Faruk Hossain, DMP joint commissioner (crime), said law and order is improving and the DMP is also gradually recovering from the scars of the July-August unrest.

Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad told TBS that police officers are still reeling from trauma. He recommended engaging with the community and students to make field police officers fully functional again.