Rajshahi Bureau 

 Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) hosted an exchange-of-views meeting with media professionals at the RMP Headquarters conference room on Wednesday morning to discuss citywide security, drug enforcement, cybercrime, traffic management, and community policing.

RMP Police Commissioner Mohammad Fayezul Kabir PPM presided over the meeting, listening to concerns raised by journalists regarding urban security, street encroachments, traffic congestion, and the expansion of CCTV surveillance.

Addressing online misinformation, the Police Commissioner highlighted structural and legal constraints in curbing cyber threats hosted abroad or via fraudulent platforms. He explained that taking swift enforcement action often requires prior judicial authorization under existing cyber laws, while retrieving user data from platforms like Meta can take 20 to 25 days due to internal community guidelines and the absence of local offices in Bangladesh. 

"Misuse of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, rumors, and misleading content generated for 'view-driven commercial gain' are fueling social and domestic instability," Commissioner Fayezul Kabir noted, stressing that legal and technological measures must be complemented by public awareness.

Regarding general diary (GD) inquiries, he clarified that non-cognizable offenses require formal court permission prior to investigation, which inherently introduces procedural timelines that law enforcement must strictly observe.

On narcotics and illegal gambling, the Commissioner stated that police drives have been escalated, with courts issuing sentences via mobile courts and summary trials. However, he identified poverty-driven recidivism and local witness reluctance as primary operational hurdles in securing long-term convictions.

Addressing urban traffic and infrastructure, Commissioner Fayezul Kabir noted that mandatory helmet enforcement for motorcycle riders has achieved high compliance. RMP has engaged Northern Electricity Supply Company PLC (NESCO) to regulate illegal auto-rickshaw charging hubs and is collaborating with the Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) and Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) to manage street vendor relocations and establish auto-rickshaw dumping grounds.

To ensure public-friendly policing, the Commissioner's office has instituted direct phone follow-ups with citizens filing complaints at local police stations to prevent harassment and verify service delivery.

Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Md. Faruk Hossain, Deputy Police Commissioner (Headquarters) Mohammad Khorshed Alam PPM, Deputy Police Commissioner (Traffic) Md. Nur Alam Siddique, Deputy Police Commissioner (Motihar) Mainul Islam PPM (Bar), and Deputy Police Commissioner (CTTC) and RMP Spokesperson Md. Gaziur Rahman PPM were present at the meeting alongside senior officers and journalists.