Authorities have directed all law enforcement agencies to conduct at least two coordinated mock drills ahead of the upcoming national elections. One drill will be held in September, with another scheduled immediately before the polls, expected to take place in February for the 13th National Parliament.
The decision was made during a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday. An adviser emphasised that security forces must prepare on the assumption that election-related violence could occur.
“All agencies involved in election duties must conduct two joint drills to minimise or prevent potential violence,” the adviser stated.
A senior police official noted improvements in overall law and order but raised concerns about rising robbery rates, which remain difficult to control.
Meanwhile, a special assistant to the chief adviser criticised law enforcement for insufficient attention to rape cases, stressing that many incidents go unreported. “Only those cases highlighted in the media receive serious attention. All rape cases must be treated with utmost priority,” the official urged.
The meeting also addressed the recovery of approximately 1,500 firearms looted from police during the July mass uprising. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) proposed announcing rewards for recovering these weapons.
After discussions, the committee decided that the government would offer incentives, pending the chief adviser’s approval, with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and RAB leading recovery efforts.
At a post-meeting press briefing, Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury avoided commenting on these decisions but responded to questions about adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, who was found carrying a magazine during airport screening. “It might have just been a mistake,” Chowdhury said.
Bhuiyan had departed from Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday morning to attend the OIC Youth Capital International Program in Marrakech, Morocco, when the magazine was detected during scanning.