Police to train own mechanics to cut vehicle costs

Bangladesh Police is launching a specialised vehicle mechanic training programme aimed at reducing its dependence on private contractors and saving crores of taka in vehicle repair and maintenance costs.

The initiative will begin next month at a 40-acre facility in Jamalpur under the Traffic and Driving School (TDS), the Bangladesh Police’s specialised training institution for traffic personnel.

The programme is part of a broader plan to make the police force self-reliant in maintaining its large fleet of vehicles. Thousands of police vehicles require regular servicing and repairs, much of which is currently carried out by local private contractors through open tenders.

Mohammad Abdul Halim, additional deputy inspector general of TDS, recently outlined the initiative in an interview with Sarabangla.

He said the main objective of the vehicle mechanic training was to reduce government expenditure on vehicle maintenance.

“Bangladesh Police is a large force and thousands of vehicles need to be maintained every day,” he said. “At present, a significant portion of the repair work is carried out by private contractors through open tenders, resulting in substantial expenditure from the police budget.”

The new programme will train police personnel as skilled mechanics so that the force can gradually carry out vehicle repairs and maintenance using its own workforce.

Under the plan, around 100 to 120 mechanics will be trained every year. The police expect to become fully self-reliant in vehicle maintenance within four to five years.

The initiative is expected to reduce wastage of public funds while also improving the long-term durability and safety of police vehicles through regular maintenance by trained in-house mechanics.

The TDS, meanwhile, continues to train traffic police personnel in traffic management and enforcement. The institution is also working to improve traffic management skills among police officers deployed on roads and highways with the aim of reducing road accidents and maintaining greater discipline in vehicular movement.