Combined patrols set to begin: Home adviser

The government was set to deploy combined patrol teams across the country from Monday night in a bid to curb the growing incidents of crime and strengthen public security, Home Affairs Adviser Lt-General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said.

Law enforcement agencies would ramp up their activities as incidents of mugging and robbery have surged in different parts of the country, including the capital, he told reporters after a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat on Monday, report UNB.

"I would say the law-and-order situation is satisfactory. But there is a room for improvement," the adviser said.

Jahangir Alam further said minor incidents always occur, but discussions were held on preventive measures to ensure they do not happen in the future. "We don't want a single such incident to take place," he added.

Regarding public concerns over safety, he said, "We held today's (Monday) meeting to reassure the public. Law enforcement agencies have been given specific instructions to start their intensified operations from this evening (Monday), and people will feel the difference right away."

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam on Monday said that three specialised units of police-Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Anti Terrorism Unit-were set to jointly launch drive against mugging in the capital on Monday night. "Incidents of muggings have increased during night and day and it has come to our notice. We have decided to take special measures to tackle it," he told the media after attending a workshop on enforcement of law held in Rajshahi. The workshop also discussed human rights situation across the country.

"Vested interests don't like to see stability in Bangladesh. Political interests may be linked to it," he said.