Could the Sri Lanka Police force be restored to its former glory?

Today, except for a handful of police officers who still remain true to the motto of the Sri Lanka Police and carry out their duties with a genuine intention, many others resort to bullying and intimidating citizens to bring about a fear psychosis. 

Despite being the apex institution to ensure law and order in the country, most citizens look down upon the police force due to its way of dealing with citizens for minor offences. In most instances, police officers are seen arguing with people who have violated traffic laws. Some even go to the extent of twisting existing laws to impose fines just to prove that they are ‘above’ ordinary citizens. 
There was a time when the uniform itself spoke volumes about the entire police force but over the course of history, as police officers got themselves involved in high profile crimes and political deals, people’s trust towards the police force deteriorated. 
Today, except for a handful of police officers who still remain true to the motto of the Sri Lanka Police and carry out their duties with a genuine intention, many others resort to bullying and intimidating citizens to bring about a fear psychosis. This was evident during the ‘Yukthiya’ operation where male police officers didn’t think twice about checking the handbags and personal belongings of females. When questioned, they responded saying that there’s a dearth of women police officers and there aren’t many who work during night shifts. 
However the recent repatriation of several underworld criminals from Indonesia proved the capabilities of the police force. Some have paid the price with their own lives while on duty. If there hadn’t been political interferences, many of these high profile cases could have been resolved to date. On the other hand, the police force has been trained with sophisticated technologies to apprehend perpetrators of grave crimes. Certain officers show exemplary skills in solving cases and they don’t consider it a mere job. There was a period  when raids conducted by the Walana Anti-Corruption Unit always made headlines in news broadcasts. 
For some police officers, it is a daily battle between life and death. Some chase after drug dealers and other kinds of criminals, and there’s an element of uncertainty when they expose themselves in such operations. Some are inclined to remain with a clean track record so that they could get their promotions and retire thereafter. 
Hence there’s the good as well as the bad in terms of observing the conduct of police officers. There have been numerous analyses and discourses with regards to ‘policing the police.’ But this time, President Dissanayake made it clear that the government wouldn’t interfere in police investigations. He emphasised that no crime should be concealed by the passage of time,  and that time will never be an obstacle in bringing criminals to justice. He assured that the incumbent government is determined to punish criminals sans any discrimination.
With the above reassurance from President Dissanayake, perhaps the police force could NOW act independently and work towards restoring  its former glory!