Police help in Dhaka now a tap away

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Service is now just a tap away on your smart phones, making the free DMP mobile application a potentially life-saving app.

This interactive application makes Bangladesh, along with Hong Kong and the UK, among the very few countries to avail this modern technology to bridge the gap between the public and its key national service providers such as the Police.

But how is it different from simply calling the police?
In a lot many ways. Its main features give you access to:

• The Officer in Charge or Duty Officer of the nearest police station,
• An interactive map helps you locate the nearest police station,
• The Police Blood Bank service,
• The 24/7 Women Support Service for victims of domestic violence,
• Traffic police service,
• Alphabetically ordered list of DMP police stations with their contact numbers,
• Details of various services offered by the DMP,
• The DMP Facebook page


The app was first introduced in Bangladesh’s Uttara Division around October 2013 for Android smart phones.
The idea was proposed, initiated, and then coordinated by the then Assistant Commissioner of Police Patrol, Uttara, Mashroof Hossain (currently an assistant superintendant of police), and developed by eLites (eLogical IT Experts) engineers Md Tariq Mahmud and Samin Yasar and their team.
The eLites team, however, had taken no remuneration for the job they did.

ASP Mashroof Hossain, our very own ‘super cop’, earned his title by making his services available to people everywhere, any time, via the social media.
Besides making his mobile phone number publicly known and encouraging people to call him if ever in need, he is also an admin for the official DMP Facebook page maintains his own official Facebook page and an ask.fm blog  where people can leave their comments or seek advice anonymously.

Inspired by the power of the social media during the Arab Spring and Shahbagh movement, he opened his first official Facebook page, allowing the people to interact with him directly and on a more personal level.
The overwhelming response to his Facebook page led to the creation of the official DMP Facebook page, after he which proposed the DMP-Uttara Division mobile app.

The popularity of the app led to the expansion of its coverage, with help from DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed, across all of Dhaka city by June 2014, with the ultimate aim of soon covering the whole of Bangladesh.

The DMP app is currently available for download on iphone, windows and android.

Its in-built English and Bengali versions allow you to use the app in your preferred language.
Its home page has a navigation panel on the left of the screen with easy access to its features that include a user guide, while the right side displays contact numbers of OCs and Duty Officers by area and division.
The top left corner has the all important ‘SOS’ icon, which instantly connects you to the nearest police station in case of an emergency.

So, if you see a crime taking place, you can immediately click the ‘Map’ icon and get the directions to the three nearest police stations from your location.
Tapping on any one of the three will connect you directly to the OC/Duty Officer of that Police Station on your phone free of charge.
If you are not convinced about their help, you can also talk to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of that division.

While people in England have the habit of talking about the weather, people here never tire of saying how bad the traffic is. The ‘Traffic’ feature on this app does not promise to solve Dhaka’s traffic problems but can connect you to the ACP (Traffic) of the area in which you may find yourself stuck.

With a nationwide survey revealing that 87% of married women are abused by their husbands in Bangladesh, the ‘Women Suppport’ feature is the perfect rescue button at the tip of your fingertips.
The 24/7 cell of the Women Support and Investigation Division is an all-female unit situated in Tejgaon, especially developed to help women victims of domestic violence.

Did you know that there is a police blood bank, where one hundred thousand of our police officers donate blood?
The ‘Blood Bank’ button gives you access to the donated blood in case of urgent need in emergency situations.

In addition to the all-important mobile numbers, landline numbers, email addresses, and Facebook/website pages listed under the ‘Quick Contact’ and ‘DMP Media Centre’ button, there is also a ‘Chancery’ button designed for foreigners requiring police support.

The application has received raving reviews such as the following:

"Excellent app!! Having used this in a real emergency case, I should say - Excellent App!! On 20th Oct, 2013 at about 2 AM; my housekeeper called and told me that some robbers are trying to get into our house, followed by a scream. I used this app to contact the police and they came to our house within 5 minutes after placing the call. The whole process of calling them and they coming to my house took only about 6 minutes in total. Hats off to BD police and this app is very resourceful indeed."

“A complete package It's a Swiss army knife like app. Very neat and well designed. I hope all the phone numbers given are active and they will answer. Gave 5 stars.”

If you have not already downloaded the DMP mobile application, make sure you do, and let us have your views.
Remember to spread the word because it might just save a life. The app gives us a chance to take better control of the services we pay for with our taxes, thanks to the DMP and ASP Mashroof Hossain.

Let’s make our voices heard. Let’s help shape our police service the way we envision it. We can only hope that other national public service providers in Bangladesh will follow this exemplary lead.