Over 1.5 lakh police personnel to be trained for election duty

More than 1.5 lakh policemen will be trained to perform duties to help secure the planned national elections in February next year, officials said here today.

“We will impart all the necessary training to 1.5 lakh or more police personnel to ensure a free, fair, neutral and peaceful national election,” police’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quazi Zia Uddin told BSS.

Uddin, stationed at the police headquarters (PHQ) and entrusted with the charge of the main law enforcement agency’s human resources (HR) development, said he hoped the upcoming polls would be a “landmark one in the country’s history.”

He said PHQ’s HR department has by now formulated nine training modules over the past three months, incorporating suggestions of election experts and lawyers.

Uddin described the course developed “under the dynamic leadership of the IGP (Inspector General of Police) and the Additional IGP for HR” as “wonderful.”

The official said he expected the course would be effective in preparing the police personnel to deal with any law and order situation successfully during the polls.

Bangladesh Police has 130 smaller and four larger training centres across the country where police personnel would be trained under the course outline for election duties.

The DIG said as one of the election training instruments they developed two documentaries, a 15-minute audiovisual content and a nine-minute film, alongside a booklet.

Uddin said they already trained 150 master trainers under the modules at the PHQ in Dhaka from August 31 to September 2 and planned to develop 1,292 master trainers or trainers of trainers (ToT) at 19 police training centres across the country in the coming days.

The trainers, he said, would later train more than 1.5 lakh police personnel to be on polls duty.

“All trainers will be given real-time training through mock situations that may arise during the elections,” Uddin said, adding that the exercises were being carried out to ensure blanket security during the polls.

He said the PHQ would stage a formal opening ceremony to mark the launching of the training programme later this week at Rajarbagh Police Lines.