The Home Ministry has proposed Tk 6,608.14 crore to procure 5,830 vehicles for Bangladesh Police, with two projects scheduled for consideration at an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting on October 25.
The proposed investment comprises Tk 4,328 crore for 4,829 operational vehicles and Tk 2,280.14 crore for 1,001 specialised vehicles. Both projects are scheduled to run from October 2026 to June 2029, with the full cost to be financed by the government.
The ECNEC meeting will take place at Bangladesh Secretariat, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the committee’s chairman, presiding.
The proposals seek to address longstanding shortages in the police fleet, which has limited capacity to support patrols, emergency responses and the deployment of personnel across the country.
According to the project proposal, Bangladesh’s 639 administrative police stations currently have 1,237 vehicles to serve an area of around 147,000 square kilometres. That amounts to fewer than two vehicles per station on average, while around 64 per cent of the existing fleet is more than 10 years old.
The operational vehicle project would expand the fleet available for routine policing. The specialised vehicle project, meanwhile, would provide equipment for specific law enforcement tasks, including riot control vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, mobile command centres and crime scene vans.
The specialised fleet is intended to support crowd management, operations in remote areas, field coordination and evidence collection during criminal investigations.
The plan also includes speedboats and country boats to strengthen policing across Bangladesh’s extensive river network. The watercraft would be used for waterway patrols, protecting key point installations, counterterrorism operations and emergency rescue missions.
Both projects include training to help personnel operate and maintain the expanded fleet.
Under the operational vehicle project, 650 personnel would receive training in light-vehicle driving and mechanics, while 300 would undergo heavy-vehicle driving and mechanics training.
Another 50 personnel would receive vehicle mechanic training. The project also allocates Tk 1.5 crore for vehicle maintenance and repair tools and equipment.
The specialised vehicle project provides driving and mechanics training for 910 personnel, along with mechanic training for a further 50.
The combined proposed expenditure is Tk 2,080.94 crore in the 2026-27 fiscal year, Tk 2,867.55 crore in 2027-28 and Tk 1,660.58 crore in 2028-29.
Feasibility studies for both projects were conducted by Hawk’s Bay. Their economic assessments each recorded a benefit-cost ratio of 1.05, indicating that projected economic benefits marginally exceed estimated costs under the assumptions used.
The estimated net present value is Tk 19.22 crore for the operational vehicle project and Tk 176.096 crore for the specialised vehicle project. The latter figure was calculated using a 12 per cent discount rate.
The revised Development Project Proposal for the operational vehicle project was reviewed at a Project Evaluation Committee meeting on October 15, 2026.
Following the committee’s recommendations, foreign training was excluded and the proposal was revised to comply with Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority and Finance Division regulations. It was also aligned with the election manifesto.
The specialised vehicle project was separately recommended for ECNEC consideration following a review by the Planning Commission’s Physical Infrastructure Division.
Neither project has received final approval. Implementation will depend on ECNEC’s decision.
The proposed procurement is intended to improve police mobility and operational readiness amid shortages and an ageing vehicle fleet.
If approved, the projects would expand the resources available to police units nationwide. Their impact on public safety would depend on effective procurement, needs-based deployment, proper maintenance and the ability to use the additional vehicles to improve response times and policing.