Highway Police chief Additional Inspector General (IGP) Faruk Ahmed has pledged to make the country’s highways free from extortion and harassment within the next two months.
He also warned that no member of the force would be allowed to collect illegal tolls from vehicles on highways.
“I’m confident of making the highways extortion- and hassle-free within the next two months,” IGP Faruk told BSS in a recent interview.
The senior police officer, who assumed charge as Additional IGP of Highway Police on July 7, also assured that allegations of Highway Police personnel collecting money from vehicles would no longer exist after the stipulated period.
He said the force has already taken a series of measures to improve transparency, accountability and operational efficiency, including the introduction of advanced surveillance technology on key highways.
As part of the government’s “zero tolerance” policy against crime and narcotics, the entire Dhaka-Chattogram Highway and the Dhaka-Mawa Highway have been brought under comprehensive CCTV surveillance.
IGP Faruk said the entire Dhaka-Chattogram Highway is now under CCTV coverage, while AI-powered cameras have been installed at 16 key points along the route.
Similar surveillance has also been introduced on the Dhaka-Mawa Highway, enabling the Highway Police to centrally monitor both major corridors, he added.
The AI cameras on the Dhaka-Mawa Highway have been installed under a Road Transport and Bridges Ministry project, while the Highway Police is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry to formally operate the system.
The force, however, has already been using the surveillance network on an unofficial basis.
According to IGP Faruk, the enhanced monitoring system will significantly strengthen efforts to prevent highway crimes, including robberies and drug trafficking, while enabling quicker responses to incidents and helping ease traffic congestion.
He mentioned that the AI surveillance system on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway is awaiting formal inauguration and similar technology will gradually be expanded to other highways across the country.
“Our two primary responsibilities are preventing highway crimes such as robberies and narcotics transportation and ensuring smooth traffic movement,” he said.
The Highway Police chief said the force is also emphasizing the use of modern information technology to improve service delivery, enhance transparency and strengthen accountability through data-driven policing.
He added that initiatives are underway to promote community-oriented policing by increasing public trust and encouraging greater public participation in maintaining highway safety.
IGP Faruk informed that the Highway Police currently operates 73 police stations nationwide and plans to expand its presence while strengthening the professional capacity of its personnel to ensure more effective service delivery.
Established on June 11, 2005, the Highway Police is a specialized unit of Bangladesh Police responsible for maintaining law and order, preventing highway crime, investigating road accidents, enforcing traffic laws and ensuring smooth traffic movement across nearly 11,806 kilometres of highways despite manpower and resource constraints.
