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HAZRAT SHAHJALAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

APBn at odds with aviation force over security duties
RASHIDUL HASAN and MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN
A conflict has emerged between the Aviation Security Force (AVSEC) and the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) over security responsibilities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).
APBn claims that AVSEC took control of their office on October 28, hindering their ability to perform duties effectively.
On October 29, APBn filed a general diary (GD) with the Airport Police Station in this regard.
However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) denies any conflict between the two forces, asserting that each is fulfilling its responsibilities within its respective jurisdiction.
Mohammad Sihab Kaiser Khan, commander of the airport APBn, told The Daily Star, “We want our reinstitution... we just want to do the policing, perform regular duty to ensure security and law and order at the airport, as we did before.”
In response to this, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan said, “Everyone is carrying out their duties from their respective positions. There’s no problem with anyone. Aviation security is performing its duty, and APBn is supposed to operate outside, which they are doing.”
“Some unpleasant situations may arise while working together, but these issues can be resolved internally. We are committed to working collaboratively -- aviation, civil aviation, and APBn -- to ensure security,” he told this newspaper.
Regarding APBn’s office space, the chairman explained that APBn has multiple offices inside and covers a large area around the airport.
Replying to questions about limiting APBn’s access, he reiterated, “APBn is responsible for performing duties outside... we will be happy if they do the duty properly.”
APBn officials said around 1,050 APBn personnel were stationed at 79 posts across the land side (the area between the airport’s boundary and the boarding gates), terminal building, and apron side (where aircraft are parked, loaded, and serviced) before August 5.
They allege that the civil aviation authority now restricts APBn from performing duties within the terminal building and apron areas.
An APBn official, requesting anonymity, cited the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Aviation Security Manual Book 1, Section 10.4.1.1, which mandates APBn to prevent and detect crimes within civil aviation facilities.
This includes surveillance and patrols in designated airport areas, as well as the security screening of passengers and baggage, with authority shared among law enforcement agencies, immigration officers, and airport police.
The arrangement of various security forces at HSIA has been a topic of discussion since 2010. Following a series of meetings, the home ministry directed the inspector general of police on July 19, 2010, to establish an APBn force specifically for HSIA, known as the Aviation Armed Police.
Meanwhile, a week has passed since APBn filed the GD, yet the police have not taken action.
The GD stated that the APBn’s Airside Command and Control Center’s office instruments had been removed, and the signboard
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