Government merges two divisions of home ministry, restores single structure

Eight years after the split, the ministry is restructured under new order

The interim government has reunified the Ministry of Home Affairs, nearly eight years after it was divided into two separate divisions.

A fresh order issued on Wednesday brought the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division back under a single structure.

According to a Cabinet Division notification, the ministry has been reconstituted under the Rules of Business.

The merger means activities of both divisions will now operate under a single secretary.

The government had taken the decision to merge the two wings in November 2024, and Wednesday’s order put that decision into effect.

The ministry was originally split into two divisions on Jan 19, 2017.

Earlier, a letter sent to the ministry conveyed the chief advisor’s instructions, saying: “Considering the vast scope of work, the need for greater coordination, dynamism and importance, the chief advisor has directed the merger of the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division in the public interest.”

Before the merger, the Public Security Division oversaw the police headquarters, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and Village Defence Party, Bangladesh Coast Guard, the International Crimes Tribunal Investigation Agency and the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre.

The Security Services Division had under its authority the Department of Immigration and Passports, the Department of Prisons, the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, and the Department of Narcotics Control.