New law to target extortionists within days: IGP

Police will be able to file cases against extortionists on their own initiative, without requiring public complaints, under a new law expected to be introduced within days, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir said on Saturday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Khulna, the IGP said police would be able to initiate cases based on digital evidence or other leads, as fear often prevents victims and witnesses from coming forward against extortionists.

“Those who engage in extortion are either terrorists or are linked to some form of power. Out of fear, nobody wants to testify against them. That is why a new law will be passed within a few days, so that police can take suo motu cases against extortion and act on digital evidence or any kind of clue without a public complaint,” he said.

The IGP was speaking after attending a divisional community policing gathering at Khulna Metropolitan Police Lines, where he was the chief guest.

He said a gap had developed between police and the public over the past 17 years and that restoring public trust was a priority. “I have come here to carry out work on restoring that public trust and on how the police can be used effectively to establish peace in local areas,” he said.

Joint operations are under way across the country against drugs, teenage gangs, extortionists and terrorists, the IGP said. The government also plans to operate community policing as a branch of the police within a legal framework to make policing more effective, he added.

On the law and order situation in Khulna, Ali Hossain Fakir said public fear had grown amid killings and other criminal activities.

He said the police faced criticism both for using force against criminals and for failing to act forcefully enough.

“When force is used, the police are called fascist; when it is not, they are called weak. We do not want to see this. Together, we will build an effective police force,” he said.

The IGP alleged that drugs had become entrenched in society over the past 17 years and said the current government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against them.

“There will be no drugs, no teenage gangs and no extortion in society. We will all eliminate these together,” he said.

He also acknowledged weaknesses in previous community policing initiatives, alleging that some participants had misused their influence to harass innocent people and extort money through intimidation.

To prevent such abuses, strict monitoring would be introduced and the programme would operate within a legal framework, he said.

Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Sajjadur Rahman, Additional Police Commissioners Muhammad Shahnewaz Khaled and M M Shakiluzzaman, Deputy Commissioners Ahaduzzaman Mia, Anwar Hossain, Rezaur Rahman and Sudarshan Kumar Roy, and Khulna Superintendent of Police Sarkar Omar Faruk, among others, were present at the event.