Sagala initiates campaign to revamp the Police

Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka has initiated a reformation process to revamp the current structure of the Sri Lanka Police to create a better equipped and well-informed Police force to better serve the nation.  

It has been reported that the reforms will be introduced to reduce the distance between the Sri Lankan society and the Police force by making the Police a more active and integral part of society. Further the reforms aim to bring the local Police into the future by equipping them with state of the art technological equipment so that it will be on par with foreign Police units. 

Minister Sagala Ratnayaka stated that the Sri Lankan Police force played a vital role in helping safeguard the public during the 30 year civil war. He also acknowledged the aid provided by the Police to carry out the intention of having a transparent, fair form of governance brought forward by the ‘yahapalanaya’ government. 

Accordingly, an action-plan that was formulated through the conjoined efforts of the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order and Prison Reforms, National Police Commission, The Sri Lanka Police, Civil Society and Reforms Committee was handed over to Minister Ratnayaka by the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Order Jagath Wijeweera.   
    
The action plan was formulated taking into consideration the suggestions and opinions of over 1200 Police Officials from varying ranks and locations throughout Sri Lanka. Accordingly the committee identified 5 areas that required immediate attention. 

Increment of standardization within the force, Bolstering of transparency and responsibility of Police Officers, Respect for basic Human Rights, Damage control and Accident prevention, Control and Eradication of public fear of threats and the reassurance of public faith in the force were identified as the main areas of concern.  

The committee stated that the new reforms will bolster the confidence the general populace has of the Police force and will foster a positive more service oriented culture within the Police force. It was also stated that the creation of a Police force properly educated of the preservation of basic human Rights will go a long way in making Sri Lanka a cultured, virtuous nation.