As a part of its crime watch, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police [CMP] is going to prepare a computerized database of top criminals based on accurate information.
Most of the criminals who are engaged in “crimes against property” will be included in the database. It will take three months to complete. In the first phase, about 200 persons will be included in the database for their involvement in such crimes, officials said.
The database is being prepared using sophisticated software named ‘criminal pattern analysis’ which is provided by Bangladesh Police Headquarters under the Police Reform Programme [PPR]. Of the country’s seven metropolitan police, CMP is preparing the computer-based database for the first time as its pilot project.
CMP is now collecting information of criminals scrutinizing the records of listed criminals of 16 police stations under it, the officials said.
“The work of database is going on in full swing. We are collecting latest information of criminals along with their photographs. There will also be details of the criminals, including their fingerprint, past records, particular mark of their body, etc. The database will be area-based,” CMP Commissioner Shafiul Islam told The New Nation over telephone on Wednesday night.
He said, “In the recent days, several new faces-mostly young and outsiders-have joined the crime world making it mandatory for the police to prepare a new database in order to maintain law and order. Those who are involved in snatching, carjacking, abduction, dacoity, murder, arson, drug smuggling and other crimes will be included in the database.”
“Of course, there is column of political identity of the criminals in the database. IT will also add the names and other details of the patron of the listed criminals. However, there is no chance of exploitation of anyone’s political identity,” he said.
Officials said, the police will point out the differences between political clash and violence during the preparation of database. Only those who would be found involved in violence would be enlisted, no matter they are political or non-political.
The CMP earlier prepared a list of criminals where 391 hardcore criminals have been included. But some of them have already been killed in shootout by the police and the Rapid Action Battalion while a few have gone into hiding after securing bail.
