Riyad (not his real name), 27, is at Jatrabari police station for a general diary. After waiting in the on-duty room for more than half an hour, it was still not his turn.

He recently lost his wallet, which contained a SIM card registered in his mother’s name. He passed away a few days ago. Customer service told him he needed a copy of the public log to get the SIM.

“I’ve been waiting for almost an hour and it’s still not my turn,” Riyadh said.

Sub-Inspector Sakhayet Hossain was the officer on duty and a woman constable was sitting next to him. There was only one computer on his desk. 5-6 people were sitting opposite him, including Riyad, who came to file a lawsuit or keep a general diary.

“We used to have three or four computers, but now we only have one. We write more than a hundred public logs every day, so people often have to wait a long time to submit their complaints,” Sakhayet said.

After the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina fell on August 5, over 500 police stations were attacked across the country. Jatrabari police station He was among them in the capital. Six-storey building largely destroyed by vandalism and arson It is resorted to by angry students and the public.

Police operations initially began in two rooms of the nearby Demra police station, but they returned to the Jatrabari building in the first week of October. Although the renovation work has not been completed, police activities continue with limited equipment, manpower and vehicles.

Faruk Hossen, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jatrabari police station, said, “To make it easier for the public, we started operations here before the renovation of the building was completed. Despite some difficulties, we are providing services to everyone.”

During the visit on October 23, it was noticed that barbed wire had been installed around the police station to prevent anyone from climbing the wall. The recently painted building looked shiny and a pile of burnt vehicles could be seen just inside the main gate of the police station.

“There are no old members here, everyone is new,” said Sajib, a police officer who joined the police station in September. “The burned vehicles are still here. Everything from furniture to vehicles is being replaced.”

While the exterior painting was completed, Sajib noted that the furniture was not fully arranged and the installation of window panes was still ongoing.

OC Faruk Hossen was away from the station on an operation and advised him to contact the officer on duty by phone.

The room on the left on the second floor of the police station where the operations are carried out is the officer’s room. Sakhayet was on duty that day.

He said that police activities continue, but the public cannot receive all the services they expect due to the lack of personnel, patrol vehicles and other resources.

Operations with borrowed vehicles

According to sources at the police station, there were seven vehicles before, but all of them were burned in a fire started by students on August 5. Dhaka Metropolitan Police later provided a new vehicle and two old vehicles were borrowed from Tejgaon police station.

Police officers reported that old vehicles frequently broke down, causing delays in operations and patrols. A police sub-inspector told TBS that vehicles borrowed from Tejgaon frequently break down, disrupting police services.

Lack of staff

Before August, there were 258 personnel at the police station, including 206 police officers and 52 Ansar members. Now the number of staff has dropped to 150.

Police officers reported that the attacks and arson on August 5 destroyed all documents related to the case. As a result, most of the suspects on the warrant are still at large and they are unable to arrest them. Ongoing personnel shortages also make it difficult to obtain an arrest warrant from a civil court.

A sub-inspector said that cases of robbery have increased in Jatrabari area and complaints are coming in every day. “Robberies and thefts are part of a circle. If we had files of previous cases, it would be easier for us to identify these groups. Many detained suspects are not caught due to lack of documents.”

“We have to go to the courts regularly to get safety documents. We are under pressure due to manpower shortage.”

When asked about the general situation, OC Faruk Hossain said, “We are providing services despite our limitations. However, we are gradually overcoming these limitations. A new building has already been made available for use, new chairs and tables have been brought.” “When new personnel are appointed, the manpower shortage will be resolved.”