No juvenile gangs will exist in Mohammadpur: DMP commissioner

There will be no juvenile gangs in Mohammadpur, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said today (12 September), announcing intensified operations to eliminate gang activity and drug-related offences in the area.

“No juvenile gangs will exist in Mohammadpur. The term ‘juvenile gang’ will have no place in Mohammadpur. Today, the RAB and DMP are making this declaration together,” he said at a law-and-order meeting with local residents at Bashila Police Lines in Mohammadpur.

He clarified that the declaration did not mean all members of juvenile gangs would be arrested immediately.

“With your cooperation, we will conduct operations against juvenile gangs every day, and Mohammadpur will soon become free of juvenile gangs,” he said.

Mosleh Uddin said residents had identified juvenile gangs, drugs and mugging as their main concerns during the meeting.

However, he said most residents felt juvenile gang activity and drug sales had declined compared with the past, while police statistics indicated that mugging had also come under considerable control.

A comparison of crime statistics from the past three months with those of the preceding three months showed improvement in juvenile gang activity, drug-related offences and mugging, he said.

“However, the law-and-order situation should not be judged solely by statistics. Citizens want there to be no mugging, juvenile gangs or drugs in Mohammadpur. The police are also working towards that goal,” the commissioner said.

Mosleh Uddin said police had a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and juvenile gangs, but law enforcement agencies could not eliminate the problems without public cooperation.

“Public resistance is the greatest strength. There are examples of this not only in Bangladesh but around the world. If the people of Mohammadpur build area-based resistance with the police, there will be no drugs or juvenile gangs in this area,” he said.

He acknowledged that Mohammadpur had fewer police personnel than required for its population.

“The government cannot increase the force immediately, but the process of increasing manpower is under way,” he said.

The commissioner said police had already identified drug spots and juvenile gang gathering places in Mohammadpur.

“We have a list of how many juvenile gangs there are in Mohammadpur and how many drug spots there are. We are conducting operations based on that list,” he said.

He instructed police officers responsible for the area to intensify raids at every identified drug spot and juvenile gang hideout.

“We have to intensify operations at every place where juvenile gangs gather, from rickshaw garages to drug spots. Additional forces will be provided if required during operations,” he said.

He also ordered daily and weekly raids on auto-rickshaw garages.

“Anyone found inside an auto-rickshaw garage at night must be arrested,” he said.

Mosleh Uddin also said anti-drug operations would continue every day and every week.

Law enforcement officials heard residents’ concerns about crime in the area and assured them of steps to address the problems.