Govt to buy 5,830 vehicles for police

The government is set to place two projects worth Tk 6,609 crore to procure 5,830 vehicles for Bangladesh Police before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on October 25, as a severe transport shortage hampers policing across the country.

Recommended by the Planning Commission, the projects aim to strengthen patrols, crime investigation, emergency response and specialised operations. The entire cost would be financed by the government.

Of the proposed expenditure, Tk 4,328.92 crore would go towards 4,829 operational vehicles and Tk 2,280.14 crore towards 1,001 specialised vehicles. The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed implementing the projects through Bangladesh Police from October 2026 to June 2029, subject to approval.

The country’s 639 administrative police stations currently have only 1,237 vehicles, around 64 per cent of which are more than 10 years old, according to the project proposals.

The crisis worsened during the July-August 2024 mass uprising, when 1,074 police vehicles were damaged, including 455 that were completely burnt, according to Police Headquarters data.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the destruction had disrupted patrols and law enforcement activities. The government was taking steps to restore operational capacity and replace damaged vehicles, he said.

However, the proposed procurement is intended to address the broader transport shortage, not merely replace vehicles damaged during the uprising.

A Planning Commission proposal noted that each police station generally covers several unions or wards and needs at least four to five pickup trucks or patrol vehicles to operate across different areas simultaneously. Many stations have only one or two vehicles, forcing them to leave some areas without adequate patrols when teams are deployed elsewhere.

Kamarum Munira, assistant inspector general (media) at Police Headquarters, said the initiative primarily aimed to address the shortage and improve operational efficiency. The force would reassess its needs and seek additional vehicles if necessary, she said.