New direction needed for Police Department

The dysfunctional state of important Government institutions is evident from the fact that the Police Department has been without a head since Monday (9 October). 

The second service extension granted to Chandana Wickramaratne lapsed this week and since then, he has not been granted another extension, neither has the name of a nominee for the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP) been sent to the Constitutional Council (CC) for confirmation. Instead, the Police Department remains headless with disagreement between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Public Security Minister Tiran Alles on who should succeed Wickramaratne, the supposed reason for the delay in making a new appointment.

Several senior police officers are vying for the post but given the highly politicised nature of the Police Department, it’s near impossible to find any officer who has no link to one political party or another or to a politician and hence whoever is appointed is unlikely to be able to gain much public confidence. But the Department needs a head and the sooner such an appointment is made, the better.

Public confidence in the Police has been low in Sri Lanka for decades and with good reason. A telephone call from a politician is usually on what most policemen act and not according to the rules laid down in the Police Ordinance. Reports of politicians entering stations and sitting on the chair of the Officer in Charge (OIC) of a station are on record while in most outstations, local politicians and their cronies run the show the way they want with the police personnel on duty often hapless as politics have the ear of their superiors and hence the man down the line is often forced to turn a blind eye when politicians and their cronies run berserk.

All this while it is evident that there is a growing crime rate in the country with gun violence linked to organised crime and drug trade on the rise. The Special Task Force (STF) of the Police has been called in to tackle the problem but gun violence continues.

There are also many important investigations that the Police have undertaken but there seems to be a lack of direction particularly in dealing with financial crimes, bribery and corruption. There are also high-profile cases like the Easter Sunday bombings, the investigations into which have left people asking more questions than being satisfied with the answers.

Another area which the Police needs to give serious attention is on road accidents which continue to take a daily toll due to gross negligence of road rules. Two policemen were the most recent victims of reckless/drunk driving. They were knocked down while on duty. The public will question how ordinary people are expected to feel safe on the roads when traffic policemen on duty aren’t safe. A new IGP will need to focus seriously on recruiting more personnel to the traffic section and ensure that they enforce the rules strictly.

The newly appointed Police Commission seems to be more credible than the ones appointed before and hence there is hope that at least there will be more promotions, transfers, etc. made taking meritocracy into consideration rather than the political links of the personnel concerned.

That said, serving in the Police Department is a thankless job in a way with public incrimination often directed at the Police. A lot of the blame has to do with the failure of those at the top to lead by example and instil proper discipline and sense of duty in lower rankers.

It is the responsibility of the IGP to ensure not only police personnel discharge their duties diligently but also the wellbeing of those in the service. That means better salaries, facilities and other welfare measures so that those serving in this important department remain motivated and discharge their duties with the interests of the public in mind.