New counter-terrorism unit

We are informed that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is in the final stages of putting together the "Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime" unit. Its purpose will be to "combat cyber crimes, terror financing and mobile bank related crimes."

While there is a need to combat terror threats that have emerged over the past years more effectively, we wonder why the proposal for 'Police Bureau of Counter-Terrorism' has been in a limbo since 2011. And while we welcome specialised agencies for counter-terrorism, it is important to ensure that resources are not frittered away between specialised agencies like RAB that currently exist today. The formation of the new unit, replete with requisite manpower is of course welcome. But there is also a need for clarity of functions between this unit and that of the RAB.

We feel that the problems that have surfaced over the past years with respect to counter-terror efforts have to do more with a lack of intelligence direction, gathering and sharing among various intelligence and law enforcing agencies. That there is no single agency dedicated to collecting and disseminating appropriate information ranging from human intelligence to cyber tracking of dangerous militant outfits is perhaps something policymakers need to take cognizance of. The problems associated with not having an apex, coordinating agency will, we fear, do more to hamper the sincere efforts of authorities to crack down on terrorists and extremists in the country.