Bangladesh: ICITAP Anti-Terrorism Unit Conducts Covert Operations and Informant Development Training

From June 4 to 5, ICITAP conducted a Covert Operations and Informant Development training for six Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) Intelligence Wing officers ranging in rank from inspector to Additional Superintendent of Police. This course represented the first of three scheduled workshops for the ATU. The shift from larger courses for multiple wings to smaller courses for individual wings allows for individualized content designed to match the specific functions of each wing. The course began with a focus on undercover police operations; however, it became clear that supporting true undercover police work would require many systemic changes within the Bangladesh Police. Instruction then evolved over to Confidential Informants, commonly referred to as “secret sources” in reports. The participants demonstrated a limited understanding of identifying and developing terrorism-related sources and struggled with finding potential sources of information about criminal activity through these sources. The ICITAP ATU Advisor noted a great potential for development in this area, particularly within the Intelligence community, as few tools to identify potential sources and targets are in place. Course material also focused on the use of electronics as a tool to verify source-provided information and included practical exercises on searching and concealment locations. Significant discussion which broadened the students’ views on finding sources beneficial to terrorism investigations followed instruction.  Following the course, the ICITAP ATU Advisor remarked that the ATU is well-positioned to fight against terrorism with enthusiastic and knowledgeable officers.