The government has procured two copters for Rapid Action Battalion so the force can perform better in fighting crime and militancy.
This is the first time a Bangladeshi law enforcement agency is getting choppers of its own. Commander M Sohail, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, said the police authorities signed a contract with Bell Helicopter Asia (Pvt) Ltd on June 23 for purchase of two Bell-407 single engine helicopters.
Bought for Tk 57 crore, the copters are now being assembled in Singapore and may be delivered two to three months ahead of the deadline, which is December 2012.
Each of the copters can carry seven people including its pilot and co-pilot, and fly for three hours at a stretch after being fuelled once. The manufacturer gave two-and-a half-year warranty on most of the parts of the copters.
A team of eight Rab personnel having aviation background will go to Singapore to receive training for about two months in operating the copters, Sohail said.
Nazimuddin Chowdhury, joint secretary of the home ministry, said the air force will be in charge of operation, maintenance and safety of the aircraft.
Rab sources said once they get the choppers, they will be able to use airways to carry out their job in coordination with ground forces. Earlier, their operation was restricted to land and water ways.
The force can even conduct casualty evacuation and aerial surveillance, and track down miscreants faster.
Rab’s Legal and Media Wing Director Sohail said, “Criminals manage to escape from crime scenes in hill tracts, coastal and forest areas as it requires almost a day for law enforcers to reach those places.”
An aircraft is what the crime busters need in such cases, he added. Even in the capital Rab faces traffic congestion when in operation. But with aircraft they can fly to crime spots in a short time.
Rab sent a proposal for helicopters to the government a year after its founding on March 26, 2004.
In 2007-2008 fiscal year, the force was allocated a budget for copters for the first time. Then on, a budget was allocated for copters in every fiscal year. But because of budget deficit or bureaucratic tangles, the purchase of aircraft was delayed, said Rab sources.
Article/image originally published on The Daily Star, 11-12-2011 issue
