Bangladesh Army stepped into the family of "Blue Helmet" by participating in the UNIIMOG (Iran-Iraq) in 1988 with 15 military observers. Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force joined in the UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) in 1993. Bangladesh Police followed the armed forces in 1989.

Since then, the police have been taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions in different countries including Namibia, Angola, Haiti, former Yugoslavia, Eastern Slovenia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, East Timor, Liberia, Sudan, Congo and Ivory Coast.

Current strength of police in different missions is 779. Among them, 250 police personnel are now working in Ivory Coast in two Formed Police Units (FPU).

The Formed Police Unit (FPU) is a comparatively new concept in the field of peacekeeping that was first introduced in Kosovo in 1999. It means a force in between military and civilian police component to meet the complex security challenges of the post-conflict societies.

After the successful experiment in Kosovo the demand for FPUs in different peacekeeping missions is increasing day by day. The peacekeeping contributing countries including Bangladesh have an opportunity to contribute more by sending a large number of police personnel.

Bangladesh has sent its first police contingent in Ivory Coast in 2005 to work under the UN mission. Now two contingents each having 125 personnel are working there. The contingents include 10 officers and two doctors.

Two more police contingents are also working in Congo and one in East Timor, while preparations to dispatch another to Sudan are underway, said a police official.

Working with the forces from different countries is expanding experiences of Bangladesh Police in many ways, a police official told The Daily Star correspondent during the visit to Ivory Coast in mid-July.

Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad, who visited Bangladeshi peacekeepers in Ivory Coast and Liberia last month, told The Daily Star yesterday that the exposure to UN missions has been benefiting the policemen beyond expectation.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to work with foreign police personnel, which is enriching our force to the great extent," said the IGP, adding that the policemen will get a good opportunity to apply their knowledge in mission once they return.

Though 125 police personnel have been working in each Bangladesh FPU in Ivory Coast, the work force is not strong enough to perform assigned duties properly.

This reality prompted them to place a proposal to the authorities concerned to increase the number to 140 in each BANFPU to perform their duties properly, said a police official.

Of the two contingents, BANFPU-1 has been deployed in Bouake city under Commander Md Akram Hossain and BANFPU-2 in Yamoussoukro, administrative capital of Ivory Coast, where Ruhul Amin is its commander.

A civil war in Ivory Coast broke out on September 19, 2002. Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remains split in two, the North under rebel control and the South under the government.

French troops had been brought into the country to resolve the crisis. The UN operation in Ivory Coast began after the civil war calmed down. A peace agreement to end the conflict was signed in March this year that is known as "Ouagadougou Peace Agreement", which could lead to the holding of elections and reunification of the country.

Both units of Bangladesh Police have already been acquainted with the people of Yamoussoukro and Bouake.

The police peacekeepers are also performing significant duties including patrolling, riot controlling, escorting of the VVIPs, VIPs and refugees, guarding key point installations and important UN establishment, setting up check points, check posts and out posts, forming convoy with armed personnel carriers, arresting hard-nut criminals, detaining wrongdoers, and evacuating and searching houses and buildings.

Few months back, a massive fire broke out at the market place of Yamoussoukro. On information, two platoons of BANFPU-2 rushed there with water canons and firefighting equipment. With the help of the locals and the authorities they controlled the situation. This pro-active enterprise is one of the remarkable jobs done by Bangladeshi police peacekeepers.

Up to now Bangladesh has completed 24 out of total 61 peacekeeping missions, where 62 thousand 131 peacekeepers have taken part.

Currently, over 83 thousand troops are working in peacekeeping operations in 15 countries, with about ten thousand peacekeepers from Bangladesh in 11 different UNPKOs. Bangladesh is one of the top listed troops contributing countries in the UNPKO.

Bangladeshi peacekeepers had been operating in many of the beleaguered areas of the world under difficult circumstances, even in serious life risks.

To restore peace and earn name and fame for the country, 76 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have so far laid down their lives for the cause of world peace. Among them, four police officers embraced death in foreign lands.