Complaints amount against Chittagong police

Police in the port city of Chittagong are being accused of committing more crimes than before.

From extortion to smuggling the contraband Yaba, they seem to be involved in crimes they are expected to prevent.

Chittagong metropolitan police statistics indicates that there were 160 complaints of criminal activities against the police in 2014.

But in the first six months of 2015 (until June 30), there were 221 such cases, marking an worrying upward trend.

Most of the complaints are against Sub-Inspectors (SI), who handle law and order at the grassroots.

For that reason, many a crime in which policemen are involved do not reach the top brass.

On June 25, Industrial Police SI Mahbubur Rahman was arrested by Chittagong Kotwali police after a complaint from an insurance official that Rahman was trying to force him to cough out Tk 50,000.

Top officials asked the Kotwali police to drop the case and instead initiate departmental proceedings against him.

On June 11, an SI and an ASI along with three other policemen were accused of attempted extortion during a raid on a business house at Panchlaish. Chittagong Metropolitan Police had to suspend all five.

On Jan 3, Detective Branch SI Abul Hossain was arrested by Kotwali police after he retained 28 gold bars recovered in a raid at the Chittagong railway station area. Twenty-three gold bars could be recovered from SI Hossain.

On the same day, six motorcycle thieves were arrested -- one of them a police constable Monir Hossain of SRF.

One SI, one ASI and six constables in the port city were punished with a pay cut last year and two ASI were blacklisted for criminal conduct.

One sergeant, one ASI and eight constables were denied annual increment in Chittagong and 13 SIs and eight ASIs were warned for similar reasons.

Twenty-seven other police personnel in the port city were officially reprimanded last year.

Until June 22 this year, four constables have been punished by denial of annual increments and one has suffered a pay cut for similar reason. One ASI has been blacklisted. 

Enquiry has been ordered on complaints of criminal conduct against 20 constables, 3 SI and ASI each and one TSI. 105 police personnel in the port city have warned this year or officially reprimanded.

Enquiry report is due any time against five policemen. 

On 21 June, an ASI of the Special Branch was arrested with 800,000 Yaba tablets by RAB.

The ASI named a few policemen for their involvement in the Yaba trade.

But Chittagong Metropolitan Police's additional commissioner (administration, finance and traffic) AKM Shahidur Rahman told bdnews24.com that only a small number of policemen were accused of crimes.

"Ours is a big force and only a handful are involved in criminal conduct," he said.

But he promised tough action against all policemen accused.

"We are quick to initiate action against anyone in our ranks, against whom complaint of criminal conduct has been lodged," Rahman said.

"We don't spare black sheeps."