Bangladesh Police’s specialized counter-terrorism agency, the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), has been renamed the “Special Security Unit” (SSU), and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has been renamed “Special Security Unit-DMP” (SSU-DMP). Police headquarters sources disclosed this on Tuesday (July 7).
Police headquarters had earlier proposed renaming the two units alongside expanding their mandate. In a proposal sent to the home ministry on June 7, approval was sought to rename ATU as the “Special Security Unit.” The following day, June 8, a separate letter to the DMP commissioner requested the necessary steps to rename CTTC as “Special Security Unit-DMP.”
Police headquarters said the nature of security threats, both domestically and globally, is changing rapidly. Alongside violent extremism, the initiative stems from the need for a broader, more modern structure to address new security risks emerging from artificial intelligence (AI), the spread of information technology, and digital platforms.
Police headquarters’ proposal states that operating under new names will strengthen the units’ work and help rebuild public trust by moving beyond allegations tied to past controversial or questioned operations, while their core security responsibilities remain unchanged.
According to the proposal, under the new structure, the SSU will not be limited to countering militancy alone; it will also play a broader role in ensuring the country’s internal security, national stability and public safety. Police headquarters also believes that using the internationally recognized name “Special Security Unit” will ease cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies and coordination among domestic security agencies.
Notably, the initiative to form the ATU followed the 2016 militant attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital. Formally launched on December 7, 2017, the unit currently serves as a specialized counter-terrorism force nationwide.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report