The Dhaka Metropolitan Police authorities are going to introduce two new initiatives — formation of a special weapon and tactic team to launch drives against armed gangsters, and to make it essential for the hotel managers to keep details of each of the boarders with photographs — within a couple of months to check the increasing number of crimes in the capital.

The Dhaka city police commissioner, Naim Ahmed, disclosed the above information while briefing newsmen after presiding over the monthly crime review meeting at the Telecom Auditorium in Rajarbagh on Sunday.

‘Our members of the SWTT have been trained rigorously and they will soon launch drives against top gangsters,’ said Naim, adding that the SWTT members would be capable of using any kind of weapon against the gangsters.

The SWTT members will launch drives against the abductors also and can shoot them, whenever needed, in any confrontation, he said. Besides, they will also collect information about the criminals and launch drives against them, he said.

‘The other initiative has already been taken in some places as per the pilot programme and we’re getting a positive response from the hotel authorities,’ said Naim, admitting that the criminals often take shelter in the hotels or leave them after committing crimes.

According to the initiative, the hotel management should fill up the forms with detailed information about the boarders and also photograph the persons before allocating rooms to them. The land-phone and cell-phone numbers of the boarders should also be checked.

The forms and photographs will be preserved for at least 30 days, and if the hotel management feel suspicious they should inform the nearby police. The hotel staff should wear uniforms so that the law enforcers can identify them while raiding any hotel, according to the initiative which will be launched next month. The concerned deputy commissioners have already issued instructions to the hotels in this regard, said Naim.

The city police chief, after reviewing the statistics, said that the incidents of murder had increased by more than 50 per cent in February compared to January, but the overall law and order situation in the city was satisfactory.

The briefing session was attended, along with others, by additional city police commissioner Mohammad Moniruzzaman and senior officials.