Visiting UN official praises police role in peacekeeping

Visiting UN Under Secretary General Atul Khare on Tuesday praised the Bangladesh police force for contributing to maintaining global peace for over 25 years, sending female police officers to the UN peacekeeping missions, and ensuring the security of the UN officials and employees posted in Bangladesh.
“You are very much humanitarian when humanity is the need. You also did not move backward when it was needed to apply force…The Bangladeshi peacekeepers are truly professionals,” he said while making a courtesy call on Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque at Police Headquarters on Tuesday.
Praising role of Bangladesh police in establishing peace in various countries across the world, Atul Khare said they are now working in their own country to change the society as ‘change agents’, a UNB report said.
Expressing his satisfaction over the activities of the Police Reform Programme (PRF), Khare said the UN will provide financial assistance in the 3rd phase of PRP.
The IGP Shahidul Hoque informed that members of Bangladesh police have deployed in UN peacekeeping missions within 72 hours as desired by the UN. But now the number of Bangladeshi police has been reduced in those peacekeeping missions.
He requested Atul Khare to increase the number of Bangladesh Police in UN peacekeeping missions. In response, Atul Khare said that issue of increasing the number of Bangladesh police is logical.
He assured the IGP saying that he will inform the matter to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
Senior police officers of Police headquarters were present during the meeting.
-SS