Dhaka traffic sergeants to get ‘small arms’ to stop robbers

The small arms will be given to them so that they can stop two or three robbers, says Dhaka’s police chief

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali says that traffic police sergeants on Dhaka’s roads will be approved to use small arms.

He made the remarks to the media on Thursday at the inaugural ceremony for counters and e-ticket counters of a new bus service in Dhaka’s Uttara.

“We have started distributing small arms to traffic sergeants on duty so they can stop robberies on roads and highways,” the DMP chief said.

The event was organised by the Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association next to the BDR Market in Azampur.

In response to a question from the media about the robberies on roads in and around Dhaka, Sazzat said: “I am aware of the issues or robberies and armed robberies in different public areas. However, due to the shortage of police manpower, not everything can be addressed. Traffic police personnel, in particular, are more helpless.

"They fulfil a duty, but they do so while in delicate conditions. That is why we are giving small arms to traffic sergeants. With small arms, they can deal with two or three robbers by themselves."

The DMP commissioner said that robberies have decreased as the police have become more “strict” over the past few days.

"Very few robberies have been reported in the past 15 days. The main reason is that we have made massive arrests. We have put robbers in jail."