The government has initiated a substantial procurement plan worth Tk 6,609 crore to acquire 5,830 vehicles for the Bangladesh Police to address severe logistical deficits and bolster operational readiness. According to official sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Planning Commission, the sweeping fleet expansion comprises operational automobiles as well as specialized tactical transport units, with implementation slated to conclude by June 2029 upon formal approval.
The two distinct project proposals, formulated by Police Headquarters, are scheduled for presentation at the upcoming meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) slated for October 25. Police officials emphasized that the large-scale acquisition has become imperative in the wake of the July-August mass uprising in 2024, during which a vast number of police vehicles were torched, vandalized, or rendered inoperable. Furthermore, ongoing operational constraints are compounded by aging fleet inventories and structural deficits within the force's Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E).
Under the primary initiative titled Acquisition of Operational Vehicles for Enhancing the Capacity of Bangladesh Police, authorities have proposed spending Tk 4,328 crore to procure 4,829 vehicles. This inventory features 2,909 double-cabin pickup trucks at Tk 86 lakh each, accounting for Tk 2,501.74 crore, alongside 745 high-capacity jeeps intended for senior officials, split between 400 units of 2,700cc jeeps priced at Tk 1.69 crore each and 345 units of 2,000cc jeeps at Tk 75 lakh each. The operational rollout also includes 214 microbuses at Tk 52 lakh per unit, 148 non-air-conditioned large buses, 148 air-conditioned minibuses, 115 prison vans, 100 patrol cars, 50 ambulances, 100 speedboats valued at Tk 80 crore, and approximately 300 additional auxiliary transport units.
A secondary specialized procurement project, titled Acquisition of Specialized Vehicles for Enhancing the Capacity of Bangladesh Police, carries an estimated expenditure of Tk 2,281 crore to procure 1,001 heavy-duty units aimed at managing public order and crisis situations. This specialized allocation incorporates 11 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) costing Tk 132 crore to manage industrial unrest, 20 high-capacity water cannons with 10,000-liter reservoirs totaling Tk 128 crore, 20 crowd-control vehicles valued at Tk 220 crore for political and emergency unrest, and 15 SWAT vans costing Tk 187 crore designated for specialized police units and bomb disposal squads. Home Ministry officials confirmed that vehicle pricing was finalized by a five-member estimation committee comprising four senior police officials and an assistant professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).
Despite the strategic necessity underscored by law enforcement authorities, officials within the Planning Commission and the Home Ministry have expressed fiscal reservations regarding the viability of securing such massive funding. Planners have stressed the critical need to factor in sustainable long-term budgetary provisions for ongoing fuel, maintenance, and repair expenditures alongside strict transparency and accountability measures to ensure the optimal utilization of the new fleet.
