Dhaka City police warn against 'unauthorised' press, lawyer and police labels on vehicles

Police have warned against displaying ‘unauthorised labels’ on vehicles for identification as journalists, lawyers or policemen.

Criminals were using stickers of these professions to avoid police search, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said at a press brief on Wednesday.

“These vehicles have extra stickers that say police, journalist or lawyer… why is that? We will all abide by traffic rules. There is no need for these stickers.”

But a criminal can take advantage of that and use a police sticker on his car

to organise crime while dodging search, said the DMP chief ‘So traffic police have been told to make sure no cars with these extra stickers are allowed to pass (without check).”

Labels authorised by an organisation will be allowed, he said.  “When journalists are on duty and headed to official work on cars that bear the name of that organisation… for example, a television channel… that’s fine.

“We are calling these extra stickers, which criminals with relative ease use to identify as police, journalist or lawyer to commit crime.”

A failure to follow this directive would lead to legal measures against the offender, he said.

Labels for government ministries, Parliament and law-enforcing agencies were used in the past for cars carrying illegal drugs among other criminal activities.

Police in Comilla in last year found 300 bottles of Phensedyl in a car which bore a sticker of the Ministry of Public Administration.

A van with a police banner, searched at Chittagong’s Lohagarha, was carrying locally made alcoholic drinks in 2014.