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Published : 08 May 2026, 09:51 AM
Chattogram Metropolitan Police have unveiled plans to launch a cyber support desk aimed at protecting women from online harassment, as the city’s top police official points to a sharp shift in the nature of crime in the digital age.
Speaking to bdnews24.com on Thursday, CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Showkat Ali discussed crime trends, traffic congestion and law enforcement challenges in the port city.
He said crime patterns have shifted significantly over the past two decades. “The nature of crime has changed. A lot is happening online now.
“With less effort, they [criminals] are organising more effectively. In this case, they are using online platforms.”
The police chief noted that a large portion of these hidden online offences affects women. “Many incidents happen online that women cannot share with anyone.”
To ensure they can speak up without any reservation, the CMP is moving forward with the ‘cyber support desk” initiative, he said.
The commissioner explained that female officers will staff the desk so that victims can talk to another woman freely and without hesitation.
Once the victims’ accounts are heard, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit will work to track down the perpetrators, he added.
Showkat, an 18th BCS police cadre official who took charge as the 34th CMP commissioner on Apr 1, identified “Kishore Gang” as a massive problem and a challenge police are determined to tackle.
When asked about the biggest issues facing the port city, he cited drugs, gang culture, and extortion.
He said teenagers are often drawn into crime out of a sense of fantasy and heroism, calling it a social malady that requires parental awareness and social resistance alongside police action.
The CMP chief referenced the recent death of a college student in Chawkbazar, noting that several arrests have already been made in that case.
On the issue of narcotics, the commissioner claimed that the police are working with a “zero tolerance” policy.
Several recent incidents involving extortion demands and gunfire linked to listed criminal “Boro Sazzad” in areas including Bayezid, Panchlaish and Chawkbazar have drawn attention across Chattogram.
Police have arrested several suspects over the incidents.
“Our main target is to control extortion. We first need to understand how criminals are operating and advancing. That is why our intelligence activities are continuing,” Showkat said.
He said the activities of the “Sazzad group” in Bayezid were now “somewhat under control”, though he was “not fully satisfied” and expected stronger results.
The commissioner said law enforcers had adopted several strategies to tackle crimes like extortion in Chattogram, though he declined to disclose details.
“Very soon, you will see results,” he said.
He also stressed the need to expand CCTV surveillance across the city.
Showkat said cameras would first be installed in crime-prone and snatching-prone areas through a joint initiative by the city corporation and CMP.
On Chattogram’s persistent traffic congestion, the commissioner said authorities had identified several roads where hawkers and illegal structures would be removed.
“There are plans for road management work. At the same time, there is also a plan to bring the traffic system under signal lights,” he added.
