Cops involved with narcotics will be ‘removed like cancer’

Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed issued a stern warning to all members of the force of dire consequences awaiting anyone involved with narcotics in any way.

"When a person has cancer in a part of the body, that part has to be surgically removed," he said after inaugurating the newly-constructed barrack building of Uttara Regional Police Lines of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at Diabari in Uttara.

"If any member of the police is involved in narcotics, they will be ruthlessly removed from Bangladesh Police; no concession will be given in this regard," he said.

Speaking about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the police force and their strategy, the IGP said since the virus was first detected in the country on March 8, police started working to protect people from it, without waiting for protective materials.

"We have prepared a pandemic policing standard operating procedure suitable for Bangladesh Police, by collecting pandemic policing guidelines through embassies of different countries posted in Dhaka, World Health Organization and international and regional guidelines," he said.

"Now even our police constables know how to do pandemic policing."

The national death rate from Covid-19 infection is around 1.3 percent, but in the police force it is only 0.5 percent, as standard treatment facilities were ensured at police hospitals.

"We have converted the 250-bed central police hospital into a 500-bed hospital within two weeks. We rented a private hospital and set up a PCR laboratory in the central laboratory within 12 days, for treatment of Covid-19 infected police members," said the police chief.

"We are working on bringing Covid-19 infection down to zero," the IGP said.

At the beginning of his speech, the IGP expressed deepest condolences to family members of martyred frontline doctors, health workers, journalists, and others.

DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam presided over the programme. Moinur Rahman Chowdhury, additional inspector general of Police Headquarters; and Md Abu Sayed Chowdhury, deputy managing director of Abul Khair Group; also spoke at the ceremony.