Remain focused on checking militancy-terrorism, maintaining peace: PM Hasina
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the members of Bangladesh Police to give a special focus on containing firearms, drug abuse, militancy and terrorism and serve the people in such a way so that they can consider the law enforcers as the last resort of protecting their lives.
“I think it is required to stay alert all the time. A special attention should be given to ensure that the incidents of firearms, drug abuse, militancy and terrorism can’t take place anymore,” she said while opening five development schemes of the Bangladesh Police.
Joining the inaugural function virtually from her official residence, Gonobhaban, the prime minister said her government wants peaceful environment in the country as peace is a prerequisite for economic emancipation and development.
Bangladesh Police organised the function simultaneously at the Gonobhaban, Rajarbagh Police Lines, Padma Bridge police station (north), Munshiganj, Women Police Barrak end Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP), Khulna, Mymensingh Police Hospital and Police Lines in Pirojpur district.
Referring to a remark of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on police becoming a pro-people force, she said, “The police of our country have to achieve confidence of the people so they can consider them as the last resort of protecting the lives and dignity and people will get shelter to the police.”
The prime minister said she wants police to follow Bangabandhu’s order, adding that police would be the friend of the masses while the people will also help police in maintaining law and order.
At the function, the prime minister, opened two newly constructed police stations Padma Bridge North and South police stations, 12 district police hospitals modernised under a project, six police women barracks and online general diary (GD) system this afternoon.
She also handed over 120 more houses, built in second phase by the police, to the landless and homeless people in the programme.
The prime minister earlier distributed over 400 houses built by the police to beneficiaries on 10 April commemorating the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to support the Awami League government’s move to bring all the homeless and landless under the housing scheme.
A video documentary on the five development schemes of the Bangladesh Police was screened at the function.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, MP, also spoke on the occasion while Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed gave the address of welcome.
Referring to the success in the drives against militancy and terrorism, particularly since the Holey Artisan incident, Sheikh Hasina said police should play an effective role in containing cybercrimes, money laundering, rumour, human trafficking and the crimes which are dangerous for the people and the country.
The prime minister highly praised the police force for its success in maintaining communal harmony by quickly arresting the people responsible for the attempts to destroy the country’s communal harmony.
She greeted the police personnel as they have brought respect for the country by working efficiently in the peacekeeping missions and for rendering services to the people during the Covid-19 pandemic risking their lives.
The prime minister further said the police also contained with bravery the “BNP-Jamaat alliance’s terrorism in the name of movement”.
“The BNP-Jamaat clique killed police officials on broad-day light in Gaibandha, Rajshahi and other places alongside conducting arson attacks on rails, buses, police vehicles in which many people were killed,” she said.
Inaugurating the Padma Bridge north and south police stations, she said that the police stations would play an effective role in maintaining the security of the bridge and the people who will travel through it.
The prime minister thanked the police for introducing filing of online general diary to support the government move to make Bangladesh fully digital and for giving 520 houses in two phases to the landless and homeless people with their own funds.
Police have done the greatest work by giving houses to the landless and homeless people, she said, adding that the secretaries and armed forces have also joined their hands in the endeavour of making the government successful in bringing all the homeless people under the government housing scheme free of cost following the footprints of Bangabandhu.
Spelling out various measures taken for overall development of the police force, she said, “We started huge tasks for the development of police after assuming office in 1996.”
The prime minister said they formed the Police Welfare Trust by giving Taka 50 million (5 crore) as seed money and police staff college for giving them proper training and purchased required vehicles and built a 10-storey hospital at Rajarbagh for police.
She also said her government has given the police risk allowance and increased the ration to 100 per cent and created over 82,000 posts and constructed new police stations, investigation centres and the process of purchasing two helicopters for police is going on.
The prime minister said the types of crimes are changing with invention of newer technologies, adding that her government has been trying to equip police personnel with those technologies.
Sheikh Hasina also said price hike of essentials and the rate of inflation have been increasing worldwide due to the double blows of the Coronavirus and war (between Ukraine and Russia).
The entire world is now facing a lack of food, she said, adding that she had already called upon all to grow food grains in the places they have and grow food for them.
She reiterated: “Not a single inch of land will remain uncultivated in the country. We’ll grow our foods as the global economic recession cannot put its impact on us.”
The prime minister said the prices of import based products have been increasing in Bangladesh too and the government is giving subsidies to contain the price spiral.