Bangladesh Police is set to merge its two specialised units – Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) and Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) – into a new entity called the Special Security Unit (SSU) as part of a broader organisational restructuring.
The decision was formally announced in a statement on Tuesday, saying the move was aimed at strengthening the country’s response to evolving security threats, including extremism and transnational crimes.
A deputy inspector general (DIG)-ranked official at Police Headquarters said a proposal to rename and reorganise the two units was sent to the Home Ministry on 7 June and has since received approval.
The proposal said a more comprehensive and stronger organisational framework was needed to address emerging challenges beyond the existing structure, the official said.
Police Headquarters said the restructuring would help enhance the capacity of the units to deal with changing patterns of security threats and take more effective action against extremist activities and cross-border crimes.
The new unit will also work to prevent activities related to extremist ideologies, including the spread of radical views and training initiatives conducted in the name of such activities, police said.
Police Headquarters spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) AHM Shahadat Hossain said the primary objective of the move was to improve the operational effectiveness of the units.
The CTTC unit under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is also being reorganised as SSU-DMP under the same process, he added.
