80% cutouts removed in Colombo: Police

11 December 2014 03:10 pm

Police said today that 80 per cent of cutouts and posters had been removed by the police in Colombo so far and Rs. 50 million had been allocated by the Elections Commissioner for the removal of posters and cutouts during the entire campaign period.

Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said 2010 casual workers would be recruited for the task of removing cutouts and posters.

“Police alone cannot safeguard election laws but the supporters, politicians and the people have to cooperate with the police to ensure that election laws are not violated,” SSP Rohana said.

 Commenting on the crime trend in Sri Lanka, SSP Rohana said there was a decline in homicides in the country by 120 per cent since 2004 and stressed that there was no crime trend in the country after the war ended.

The homicide figures had dropped to 438 in 2014 whereas it was 1288 in 2004, he  said.

Mr. Rohana said when compared to Asia, Europe and Africa, the crime rate in Sri Lanka had not increased.

He said the police had been able to eradicate the underworld in the country while they had taken steps to control the drug menace as well.

“We have arrested 23, 218 suspects and seized some 317 kilogrammes of heroin in 2013. 23, 140 suspects have been arrested this year so far while more than 200 kilogrammes of heroin have been seized, SSP Rohana said.

When asked as to what happened to the seized drugs, Mr. Rohana said they could not be destroyed in a short time but it takes about 9 to 10 years to do so as it needed to go through a long legal process.(Ajith Siriwardana)