Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed has announced that the government has approved a proposal to procure 40,000 body-worn cameras for police to strengthen security at polling stations during the upcoming national election scheduled for February.
He disclosed the decision on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the Secretariat after a meeting of the Advisory Council’s Committee on Government Purchases.
According to the Finance Adviser, the cameras will be procured through the UNDP. Although he did not specify the total cost, he said the expenditure would run into several hundred crore taka.
A high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Adviser at the state guesthouse Jamuna on August 9 first discussed the plan to purchase the body-worn cameras. The following day, the Chief Adviser’s verified Facebook page confirmed that the acquisition would be expedited.
Officials present at the August meeting included the Home Affairs Adviser, the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistants Khoda Bux Chowdhury and Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb.
During that meeting, the Chief Adviser directed that the cameras be purchased quickly and that thousands of police personnel receive appropriate training in their use.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb later said that the procurement process for the 40,000 body cameras—commonly known as bodycams—was at a final stage and would help reinforce security at thousands of high-risk polling stations.
