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Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that regular police forces will no longer carry heavy-duty lethal firearms.
“By lethal weapons, I mean heavy arms will no longer be in police possession,” he said during a visit to the headquarters of the Armed Police Battalion and RAB-1 in Uttara on Saturday, bdnews24.com reports.
“As you know, the role of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) is not the same as that of other units of the police. Each unit is designed for a specific purpose."
He continued, "If we were ever to go to war, APBn would fight alongside the Army. Others would also join, but APBn would be on the front lines. That’s why their weapons are different from those of other units. For example, the River Police need more boats, while Industrial Police require different types of equipment.”
Earlier, on May 12, following the 9th meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order, Jahangir had said that a decision was made to ensure that police would no longer retain lethal weapons and would be required to hand them in. However, the APBn would be allowed to keep such arms.
Asked again on Saturday to clarify that statement, Jahangir said: “These days, even a knife or a pencil can be considered a lethal weapon.”
When asked what he meant by saying the police would not carry lethal weapons, he replied: “I meant they will not have heavy-duty weapons. Rifles will, of course, remain.”
Commenting on the law and order situation over the past 10 months, he said: “This Eid, you weren’t able to report any major incidents. That shows significant improvement in law and order.”
“Of course, minor incidents did occur, a few thefts and muggings, but nothing serious. Pray that no major problems arise in the future either,” he added.