The police force is still morally strong for the battle against coronavirus, despite a large number of the law enforcers across the country as well as in the DMP were tested positive for the Covid-19 in the recent days.
A total of 1,923 police personnel were found infected out of 17,822 persons as of Wednesday.
Overcrowded accommodation in police barracks across the country including those in Dhaka city and mismanagement are to blame for the cops taking the risk of coronavirus infection, according to officials of the Police Headquarters (PHQ).
Primarily police officers tasked with enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in the country have contracted the disease and then brought the disease to the barracks and infected other police personnel, police officials told the Daily Observer on Wednesday.
Police have also been seen singing popular songs on loudspeakers for their own motivation while entertaining people. Videos of such gestures have gone viral on social media and in many places people have showered flower petals on policemen. This makes policeman on duty morally strong.
Among the infected, 907 are from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said sources at the PHQs. Apart from the police personnel at the field level, two additional deputy commissioners (ADC) and one assistant commissioner (AC) have been infected with Covid-19, sources at the DMP informed.
Over 48 more police personnel were infected with Covid-19 in the last 24-hours across the country. The country recorded the most coronavirus deaths in a single day with more than 19 fatalities, taking the total number of dead to 269.
Meanwhile, 1,162 tested positive for the virus, which is also the highest number of infected cases in last 24 hours till Wednesday said Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Nasima Sultana.
It is all very different from a few months ago, when allegations of excessive force, corruption and human rights abuses dogged Bangladesh police force.
To a large degree, police misconduct is responsible for eroding public trust. Such behaviour is highlighted in frequent media reports of excessive or unnecessary force as well as in the now fairly routine cases of overturned
convictions based on unethical investigative techniques.
But these heart-warming tales of kindness during the coronavirus pandemic are only half the story, behind them are more hidden stories of determination, duty and sacrifice, making the policemen "frontline warriors" of Bangladeshi's battle against coronavirus.
Meanwhile, "Although police members used some forms of personal protective equipment (PPE), training on infection control and supervision on infection control practice may be lacking, making them more susceptible to the infection," an official at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Central Police Hospital (CPH) is the top hospital of Bangladesh Police. From this hospital policemen and their family members get modern medical treatment and medicine.
Deputy Director of the CPH Dr Md Emdadul Hoque, SP, said that the hospital has been giving Covid treatment maintaining international rules and regulations. High quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and other protective gears have been provided for its doctors, nurses and health staff from the very beginning.
Presently 66 doctors, around 70 nurses and other health staff alongside 150 more doctors from other hospitals have been giving treatment to the Covid-19 patients both in the CPH and other isolation centres.
Bangladesh Police is fighting amid life risk to ensure the safety of people in the ongoing Corona war. Seven patriotic policemen have already sacrificed their lives, police said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed instructed all concerned to ensure maximum treatment for the Covid-19 infected police members. 'Special team' has been formed at all police units under the direction of the IGP to look after the sick policemen.
The law enforcement agency is busy fighting against coronavirus. DMP sources said the crime rate has fallen. About 33,000 cases were filed in 50 DMP police stations in the last year and the first four months of this year. So, an average of 2,200 cases has been recorded every month.
But last April, 349 cases were recorded, showing an 84 per cent fall in case records.
However, the tenant-landlord conflict has intensified during this crisis, as indicated by case records from last year to the first four months in this year, of eight crime units under 50 police stations of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
