First all-female armed cop unit launched

The first all-female Armed Police Battalion (APBn) unit was launched yesterday in the capital.
Addressing the inauguration programme at APBn headquarters in the city's Uttara, Home Minister Sahara Khatun said this is one of the steps the government has taken to empower women.
Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikdar said the government has relaxed physical fitness requirements, especially height, of female candidates for the police department as an effort to empower women.
Speakers said the job of this 11th unit of APBn would be to ensure security to VVIP women, prevent crimes committed by female criminals and street violence by female political activists.
The commanding officer of the unit, 371 women strong, will be a female superintendent of police.
Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandaker said two years ago women police were only 1.72 percent of the force. Now it is 3.78 percent in a department of 1.40 lakh personnel.
Hassan said around three decades ago there were only seven female inspectors and seven constables in the department. Now more than 5,000 female police are working.
The home secretary said the percentage of female police personnel should be raised to 20 from the current 3.78.
Speakers at the programme said there was a concept that women are fit for serving only in health and education sectors but now the society witnesses increasing association of women in various sectors like defence, aviation and business.
Among others State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku and State Minster of Women and Children Affairs Shirin Shamin attended the function.