Shortage of PPE makes police presence thin in city

The number of police personnel on the Dhaka streets has decreased in recent days for lack of adequate safety equipment for them for carrying out field duties to ensure people's safety in the wake of the pandemic.
A senior official at the Police Headquarters told the Daily Observer, "Most of the police forces are involved with ensuring people's safety from the novel coronavirus infection."
The law and order situation in the country is under control, he added.
Sufficient police forces were deployed for maintaining law and order and traffic system in the capital city, he said.
A sense of panic is prevailing in the police forces as they are being infected more compared to other frontline fighters because they have to come in close contact with people more than the others," according to police.
The total number of police personnel infected with Covid-19 across the country reached around 8,500, according to a tally
    by the Police Headquarters. Police officers in the country remain vulnerable to contracting the novel coronavirus.
Half of the infected police are under the DMP. Most of them were involved in outdoor duties to deal with gatherings of people.
Police officials said the number of infected among police is on the rise as it is quite difficult for law enforcers to carry out their duties without coming into regular contact with people, he said.
Frontline coronavirus fighters like doctors, members of police, Armed Forces and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other agencies have been getting infected with the virus while performing duties across the country. They have been jointly working to ensure social distancing alongside distributing relief materials.
During visits to different police stations and barracks in Dhaka, this correspondent saw that most of police personnel, especially those who are on duty were not wearing any personal protection equipment (PPE).
However, at the Rajarbagh Police Lines, the body temperature of constables staying there was being checked with a thermal scanner upon arrival from duty.
More or less all the residents of the barracks were seen washing their hands, legs and using sanitizers to stay safe from the virus.
Members of the police force are being lauded on social media because of the dedication they have shown in carrying out their duties while putting their lives and those of their families at risk of infection.