Home ministry: Interim govt okays merger of 2 divisions

The Chief Adviser's (CA) Office has given in-principle approval for merging the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, a move expected to improve coordination and reduce costs.

A letter signed by AKM Moniruzzaman, director of the CA Office, was sent yesterday to the Cabinet Secretary, instructing the next steps for the merger. The decision aims to streamline responsibilities and enhance efficiency given the overlapping functions of both divisions.

Confirming the development, a source at the CA Office told The Daily Star, "The chief adviser has given the nod following a request from the home ministry. Now, further review will be conducted by the secretary-level committee, finance ministry, and public administration ministry."

The two divisions have often faced issues with coordination.

The Public Security Division oversees police matters, while the Security Services Division is responsible for immigration—a function also handled by the police. The merger is expected to resolve such overlaps and improve departmental efficiency, said the source, requesting anonymity.

Sources from the home ministry noted that the ministry was initially divided into two divisions on January 19, 2017, to enhance functionality. Two secretaries were given charge of both divisions.

Since then, there has been a disagreement between the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division over the facilities and responsibilities.

Sources said that Mohammad Abdul Momen, senior secretary of the Public Security Division has already given the responsibility of the Security Services Division. After getting the responsibility, Momen held a meeting with the officials of the Security Services Division, where the issue of the merger was discussed.

A ministry official, requesting anonymity, said the merger of the two divisions will remove internal tensions and speed up functions.

According to the database, presently the Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal, and National Telecommunication Monitoring System are under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Division.

On the other hand, the Department of Immigration and Passport, Prisons Department, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, and Department of Narcotics Control are under the jurisdiction of the Security Services Division.

According to sources, the two division officials were at odds over the lack of overseas posting opportunities. There are Bangladeshi passport offices abroad, and dissatisfaction always revolved around the posting.

The work of issuing passports is done by the Security Services Department, so the employees of the division used to get the opportunity to work abroad.

At one stage, a circular was issued to allow employees of both divisions to go abroad equally, according to sources.

Another source said that police members conduct passport verification and immigration works under the Security Service Division. However, the Public Security Department is in charge of the deploying the police.

This is another reason for the discomfort and dissatisfaction between both divisions, and the proposed merger is expected to eliminate these conflicts by consolidating responsibilities under a single unified division.