Hi-tech gadgets, training on way to upgrade Rab

The government is going to upgrade the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on a par with the globally famous anti-crime forces like FBI or Scotland Yard by providing it with more funds and more sophisticated equipment and weapons.

"We've attached much importance to this new force and taken steps to enhance its professionalism by providing it with training and most modern technology and equipment," said State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, he said there is a plan to match the Rab's standard with that of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the USA, UK Secret Intelligence Service MI6 and Scotland Yard, and other world famous forces.

"We don't want to use this elite force only to deal with criminals, but to build it as an world-standard force that can investigate any major criminal incident," he said, adding, "We are preparing capacity building plans and programmes for the Rab personnel."

Babar said the government plans to train the Rab personnel both by sending them abroad and also here by hiring trainers.

On the modern hi-tech gadgets being procured for the Rab, he said about 160 new vehicles out of some 400 have already been imported and the rest are on way. Besides, letters of credits have already been opened to purchase some sophisticated weapons and equipment.

He however declined to name the equipment and weapons as well as their costs.

Meanwhile, highly placed sources said the home ministry has already floated a tender to purchase a good number of 'expensive and most modern intelligence and security' equipment for the Rab headquarters.

They said the gadgets are being imported from the USA, the UK and Russia as well as partly from South Korea, adding these would facilitate the Rab to work more efficiently and help detect criminals.

Officials said equipping law enforcing agencies with modern equipment has become a high priority against the backdrop of recent heinous incidents like the grenade attacks on the British high commissioner and an Awami League rally, bomb explosions at Udichi, Ramna Batamul and CPB (Communist Party of Bangladesh) meetings.

NEW RAB GADGETS
According to the authorities concerned as well as the tender documents, the home ministry has ordered for some explosives vapour detectors, mine detectors, cordon tapes with stands, human occupancy detectors, vehicle mounted search lights with remote control, polygraph/lie detectors, activity sensors, alcohol detectors, close circuit televisions (CC TVs) etc.

Sources said most of the equipment under the procurement process is portable, easy to use and usually used for counter-terrorist search, and the Rab would use these when and wherever needed.

They said explosive vapour detector is a portable device developed in part by Electromax and tested in a United States' programme to fight terrorism.

Experts said this detector combines the highest sensitivity with high selectivity in a well designed ergonomic design, and it does not require periodic adjustments during operation, because it is stable in a wide range of humidity, temperature and environmental conditions.

It is also designed to facilitate searching people, luggage, parcels etc for hidden explosives. This detector is now in vogue in the developed countries.

The polygraph/lie detector is an instrument that simultaneously records changes in physiological processes such as heartbeat, blood pressure and respiration of the person under interrogation, and is used to detect lie by US federal and state law enforcers, FBI, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and numerous private agencies.

The human occupancy detector is a portable carbon dioxide sensor for detecting stowaways in shipping containers and other closed or confined spaces. The device uses sensitive, state-of-the-art and infrared technology to detect carbon dioxide.

Reliable sources said the home ministry has also floated tender to purchase various interrogation equipment like interrogation foot heaters (digitally controlled), interrogation hangers, interrogation chairs, interrogation face lights, lethal electric shock batons, voice recorders, and interrogation audio/video hidden evidence monitors.

Officials and experts said, with these intelligence and security equipment, the Rab would be able to function more efficiently, as the law enforcing agencies are currently unable to detect explosives and nab criminals due to lack of such modern gadgets. In most cases, they said, the investigating personnel have failed to identify and detect the explosives because they had no equipment to do that.