Joint operation conducted in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps to prevent crime

Some 470 security officers on Saturday conducted a three-hour joint patrol, led by six executive magistrates, to oversee and ensure law and order inside the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.

The joint patrol conducted at camp 8 (west) of Balukhali from 2:00-5:00pm on Saturday (26 August) included 300 members of three battalions of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), 40 members each from district police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), and 50 members of Bangladesh Ansar, Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police (SP) Saifuzzaman told The Business Standard.

"During the three-hour patrol, the entire camp was inspected. Such patrols will be held frequently. Basically, a decision was taken to conduct joint operations periodically to strengthen the security of the camp. Today's patrol was held to implement this decision," said the SP.

APBn-14 Captain and Additional DIG of Police Syed Haroon-or-Rashid said, "Earlier on Wednesday (24 August), high-level officials of Chattogram and Cox's Bazar held a meeting where 12 decisions were taken, including one to conduct regular joint patrols and special operations in the camps. In light of this, the joint patrol was held today."

Six years ago, on 25 August 2017, Myanmar's military began carrying out violent operations against the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine state, which resulted in grave crimes under international law. Entire villages were burnt and hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas were forced to flee into Bangladesh.