Citizens rise through neighbourhood patrol teams as dark nights give way to lawlessness, robberies

In the brand new Bangladesh, residents of different areas took it upon themselves to ensure safety amid an uptick in burglary and robbery attempts owing to the suspension of duty by the much criticised police force.

Since the fall of the previous government, the police force has refused to joined work, leading to reports of crimes spreading throughout social media.

Robbery incidents have been reported in multiple areas, including Mohammadpur, Jigatola, Gulsha, Uttara, Mirpur and Jatrabari, our correspondents said.

To alert the locals of the imminent danger, announcements were made from mosques urging everyone to stay vigilant.

In the face of such danger, residents took it upon themselves to ensure safety and security.

Area-wise patrol teams were formed, with communications taking place among citizens on different messaging platforms.

"This is our neighbourhood. We don't need old political leaders to protect it, we can do it ourselves," a resident of Lalmatia announced on the neighbourhood watch's newly formed Whatsapp channel to aide citizen-made patrol teams.

Residents of Dhanmondi and Gulshan were also out patrolling the areas with 60-70 cars while one of the residents of Gulshan reported on Facebook that they thwarted two attempts of robbery.

The army, too, gave a list of emergency contacts. Whenever incidents were reported, the army quickly reached the spot.

As panic spread, the helplines were inundated with calls.

Parvez Sajjad, a resident of Uttara shared his experience in the Facebook group named "Traffic Alert".

He said, upon hearing about robberies in the area, he along with a few of his neighbours joined the patrol team who tried to stop a car and a CNG for suspicious behaviour.

The robbers tried to flee leaving their locally-made weapons but were caught with the loot by another nearby patrol team, he added.

"At around 11:00pm, the mosque in my area announced that robbers have entered the neighbourhood," said Aditta Saha Niloy, a journalist based in the capital's Bosila area.

"The announcement asked people to keep their doors locked."

Md Tajul Islam, a TBS journalist, said, "Similar announcements have been made in the Jafrabad area."

Meanwhile, many robbers were detained both by residents and army officers alike from areas including Adabor area of Mohammadpur and ECB Chattar in Mirpur.

The ECB Chattar robbery was a scene of chaos, with gunshots ringing through the air as the army tried to bring the situation under control.

All of them are in army custody as of now.

The rise of citizens, often considered to be pushed back into the fringes of mainstream policy-making, wasn't a phenomenon observed only in the capital.

In Rajshahi, for instance, eyewitnesses said last night there were reports of robbery attempts in court square, Hargram market, Nawhata and Godagari markets of Paba upazila.

Patrol team in Rajshahi on 8 August 2024. Photo: TBS

But locals and volunteers resisted those.

There were also reports of arresting some suspects. Locals and volunteers have reportedly made a citizen's arrest of a suspect along with a sharp paper cutter from Alupatti intersection in the city.