Untrained traffic cops manning capital’s streets

Out of 3,327 traffic personnel assigned to maintain smooth flow of traffic on the capital’s streets only 558 sergeants received the needed training.In other words 2,769 cops of different ranks look after the busy traffic on streets of the capital without getting any training on  traffic management.Only the sergeants received six months’ basic training on traffic management, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s joint commissioner for traffic Mosleh Uddin Ahmed.Inspectors, sub inspectors, town sub inspectors, assistant town sub inspectors and constables on traffic duty received only six months’ basic training on policing, but not on traffic management, he said.A common sight on the streets of the capital is traffic police themselves flouting the traffic rules by stopping vehicles on zebra crossings.At times they ask drivers and motorbike riders to stop and let them go, possibly not knowing why they were asked to halt.Experts blamed untrained traffic personnel as the major cause of congestions on the streets of the capital.
The responsibility of providing training on traffic management and assigning well trained cops to man the streets of course lies on the DMP, they said.They said that the traffic police face the undue burden of manually controlling the huge traffic flow of the capital.

Experts said that the residents, though highly critical over the much publicized auto signalling system, stopped discussing the issue finding none to address it.‘None can say whether the auto signalling system does not work or is not allowed to work,’ they said.Failure of several initiatives to improve the capital’s chaotic traffic due to lack of coordination among the authorities and agencies is no less baffling, said the experts.Headed by an additional police commissioner, the traffic division of DMP suffers from acute shortage of field level personnel.Experts said that the casual approach in traffic management turned the Bangladesh capital into the world’s one of most chaotic streets.How could the authorities expect untrained traffic police to enforce traffic rules, asked BUET’s Accident Research Institute director professor Tanweer Hasan.Maruf Rahman, transport expert of Work for a Better Bangladesh, Trust said that none would expect the capital’s congestions to go away so long untrained traffic police would man its streets.

- See more at: http://newagebd.net/125515/untrained-traffic-cops-manning-capitals-streets/#sthash.OqG6bk4E.dpuf