At least six policemen have been killed by the outlaws over the last four months in Khulna district alone, and that goes to show the extent of the helplessness of the law enforcers in the face of armed attacks.

But police do not seem to be prepared to counter the unlawful activities of the so-called extremists. It has been reported by the press that the outlaws have adopted the strategy of launching a direct attack on police. So there is reason to believe that the police administration is aware of what is happening. However, the response to the armed attack does not indicate that police are doing anything beyond the routine measures to cope with the situation.

Police from the nearest camp took 15 minutes to come to the spot where two of their colleagues were gunned down on Thursday last and did not have much to do as the killers had left the place. That is surely a sign of the law enforcing mechanism moving a bit too slow.

The attackers are carrying lethal weapons and it seems they are operating according to a plan. So police will have to gather that extra speed and firepower to contain them.

Quite a few incidents have taken place in the recent past which indicate that such attacks will be launched in future also. So police have to work out a strategy with a view to blunting the force of political extremism manifesting itself in its ugliest form in certain areas.

Of course, police have to do something more than waiting for another strike by the outlaws. The decision-makers should carefully examine different aspects of the problem and decide how best they can address it. The police have to be better trained and equipped to deal with this particular type of crime, but then it is equally important to get at the root of the problem. The outlaws have to be disarmed and brought back to normal life under a broad scheme of rehabilitation except for those facing specific charges.

The noose of the law must be tightened before the situation goes further out of control.