Three specialised battalions of armed police will soon be deployed in Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati to ensure public safety and security.
In line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, the government will deploy the forces in camps left by the army, said home ministry officials.
The home and public administration ministries have already approved the proposal of forming the three battalions, said Farooque Ahmed, additional deputy inspector general (organization and management) of Police Headquarters.
"The proposal now remains pending at the finance ministry. We are hoping to get their approval soon," he added.
The proposal was first sent to the home ministry on March 15, 2021. Following a series of meetings, a revised proposal was finalised on November 25, 2021.
On December 30, 2021, the proposal was forwarded to public administration ministry to allocate a manpower of 2,650 people to form the three battalions.
The public administration ministry, on July 27, 2022, approved a manpower of 2,260 people.
Meanwhile, on May 25, 2022, police received administrative approval from the home ministry to conduct operational activities of the battalions.
According to the proposal, the battalions would be named "Armed Police Mountain Battalion".
The three units will be APMB-18 in Rangamati, APMB-19 in Bandarban, and APMB-20 in Khagrachhari. The battalions will be formed under the leadership of a deputy inspector general of police.
According to CHT people, these police battalions are supposed to have a certain percentage of human resources from the hill tracts. However, the proposal did not mention any such clause.
The Daily Star obtains a copy of the proposal.
The DIG office, responsible for the battalions, will have 70 members while the battalions will have 730 members each, said a PHQ official.
"Each battalion will be led by a police officer of additional DIG rank," he added.
The human resources will be given specialised training before deployment in the hill areas, said a top official of the PHQ requesting anonymity.
Primarily, each battalion will set up 10 camps in the three districts, said sources.
The battalions will conduct patrols and prevent criminal activities while the cases will be filed and investigated by the district police units, they said.
Contacted, Naimul Huq, superintendent of Khagrachhari police, said there are places in the district where police vehicles cannot move.
"The newly formed battalions will set up camps in those remote areas and build roads. This way people will get access to police in every corner of the district," he added.
"Among other crimes, we are frequently receiving complaints about conflicts between the settlers and hill people. We firmly believe that we will be able to solve the issue once we ensure robust access to the remote corners of the region and improve relationship with the people," the SP explained.
Three specialised battalions of armed police will soon be deployed in Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati to ensure public safety and security.
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