1 July 2020 12:00 am
Senior police officers-in-charge of provinces should be ashamed of wearing their uniforms if drug trafficking, extortion, underworld activities, illegal logging, running brothels, illegal sand mining and other illegal activities were taking place in their respective divisions, Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne said.
“You need to curb illegal activities that are increasing at an alarming rate without heeding to forces that might influence you and also to protect the dignity of the uniform that you wear. No police officer, from senior DIGs, DIGs to OICs in the area, can wash off their hands as they all are responsible for the increase in crimes rate in their areas,” he said this when addressing senior DIGs and DIGs representing all provinces at a special meeting held at the Defence Ministry.
“The responsibility of the armed forces are to protect people during floods and landslides, terrorism or hostilities and also virus outbreaks like Coronavirus. But you are the ones who know the pulses of the people. Therefore you shoulder a bigger responsibility in protecting people’s lives,” Maj.Gen.Gunaratne said adding that while many police officers are serving in a dignified manner, some are a disgrace to the entire police department.
Although the Defence Ministry, issuing a letter on April 5 this year has instructed Superintendents of Police (SP) to prepare reports on the underworld criminals and drug traffickers in the respective police divisions, they have failed to submit those reports to the Ministry, so far.
The Defence Secretary has instructed the acting Inspector General of Police Chandana Wickremaratne to look into the matter. “If it took two-and-a-half months to implement, how could we take the perpetrators to book” the Defence Secretary queried.
Maj.Gen. Gunaratne said police officers were responsible for maintaining national security as they are the main contributors to create a fear-free environment for the people to live freely.