The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A 23-member police team with combat training is poised to start operation against hard-core terrorists from the next month. The team will be more powerful than the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Addressing a press briefing at Rajarbagh Telecom Auditorium in the city yesterday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Nayeem Ahmed said the special Detective Branch of police would be known as 'Special Weapon and Tactic Team' (SWAT).'

SWAT is being trained by nine American experts drawn from US police, military and FBI from the second week of January as part of capacity building to combat terrors, he said.

"This new force has been created especially to recover illegal arms and arrest the hardcore terrorists," he added.

The DMP Commissioner said the new force would remain as a part of the police force.

Sources at the police administration said this high-skill training for police, the first ever in Bangladesh, will complete on February 28.

The SWAT will go for action whenever existing law enforcing agencies even the elite force

RAB would fail to deal with terrorist groups or any criminal.

The SWAT members equipped with sophisticated weapons will act as 'quick response' and conduct 'risky' operations in Dhaka city and even outside if requires.

The SWAT, a special wing of the Detective Branch, will work under direct control of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

The DMP Commissioner also said the overall crime situation in the capital has improved in January, compared to the last two months.

However, he admitted that the incidents of car lifting has gone up in the city.

A total of 71 vehiocles were stolen in January this year, compared to 47 in December and 43 in November last year.

Nayeem Ahmed said the police have taken a crash programme to reduce the incidents of car lifting in the city.

The police commissioner also said the traffic congestion in the capital would go down significantly within the nex two months as the traffic police and the BRTA have been working together.

He also said more than 50 per cent of the old vehicles now plying on the city roads would be phased out from the capital.

Senior police officials, among others, were present at the press briefing.