Government plans to buy vehicles for police at a cost of Tk 66.09 billion

The government plans to spend Tk 66.09 billion to purchase 5,830 vehicles for the police force. The proposed purchases include pickup vans, SUVs for senior officers, air-conditioned buses and minibuses for transporting police personnel, and various specialised vehicles for maintaining law and order.

Police Headquarters has proposed two projects to address the force’s vehicle shortage. One involves spending Tk 43.28 billion on general operational vehicles, while the other proposes Tk 22.81 billion for specialised vehicles. The two projects together would cover the purchase of 5,830 vehicles.

The projects are scheduled to be placed for approval at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today, Sunday. If approved, they are expected to be completed by June 2029. These details were obtained from sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Planning Commission.

Police Headquarters officials say a large number of police vehicles were burned or damaged during the 2024 student-people uprising. Many older vehicles have also broken down during operations. In addition, the force has a shortfall of vehicles against the requirements set out in its Table of Organisation and Equipment (TO&E). These factors have made the purchase of new vehicles necessary, they say.

However, officials at the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs have expressed doubts about whether the government will be able to provide such a large amount of funding.

Tk 25.01 billion proposed for pickup vans

Under the project titled Procurement of Operational Vehicles to Enhance the Capacity of Bangladesh Police, the proposal is to purchase 4,829 vehicles at a cost of Tk 43.28 billion.

These include 2,909 double-cabin pickup vans, each priced at Tk 8.6 million. The total cost for these vehicles would be over Tk 25 billion.

The proposal also includes 400 SUVs with 2,700cc engines for senior police officers, at Tk 16.9 million each, bringing the total to Tk 6.76 billion. Another 345 jeeps with 2,000cc engines would be purchased at Tk 7.5 million each, costing approximately Tk 2.5875 billion. The two categories together account for 745 SUVs.

The project also proposes purchasing 214 microbuses at Tk 5.2 million each, for a total of Tk 1.1128 billion.

For transporting police personnel, the proposal includes non-air-conditioned large buses and air-conditioned minibuses. The draft provides for 148 non-AC buses at Tk 5.2 million each and 148 AC minibuses at Tk 12 million each. Other proposed purchases include prison vans, patrol vehicles, ambulances and speedboats.

Officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs said the prices had been set by a cost-estimation committee at Police Headquarters. The five-member committee includes four senior police officials and an assistant professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Tk 22.81 billion for specialised vehicles

The project titled Procurement of Specialised Vehicles to Enhance the Capacity of Bangladesh Police has an estimated cost of Tk 22.81 billion. It would fund the purchase of 1,001 specialised vehicles, with the stated aim of improving the police force’s efficiency and operational capacity to maintain law and order.

The proposal includes purchasing 11 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) at a cost of Tk 1.32 billion to deal with situations such as labour unrest in industrial areas.

Other proposed purchases under the project include 20 water cannons, 20 riot-control vehicles, 15 SWAT vans, 100 specialised patrol cars, 13 specialised vans, 55 prison vans and 200 motorcycles, along with other specialised vehicles.

Home Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that some specialised vehicles were also being purchased for police personnel who would serve in United Nations peacekeeping missions. The UN would reimburse the cost later, he said. He added that many police vehicles had been damaged during the uprising, which was one reason for the larger number of pickup vans being proposed.

Asked how the vehicles would be maintained after purchase, the secretary said the police had their own arrangements for vehicle maintenance.

Several officials at the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs told Prothom Alo that they were uncertain whether the government could fund such a large expenditure over the next three years given the current state of revenue collection.

They said transparency in the procurement of such a large number of vehicles would also be crucial. A clear plan was needed for meeting the ongoing costs of fuel, repairs, spare parts, tyres, insurance and other operating expenses. For specialised vehicles, training, technical support and a reliable supply of spare parts would also need to be ensured.