Getting the best out of a team obviously needs provision of basic needs and facilities before assigning it with the task of controlling, preventing and detecting crime and corruption
by Nihal de Alwis
Not only serving, but retired senior police officers and others, I am certain, will be glad if the new, energetic and enthusiastic Minister, Dr Sarath Weerasekera (Rtd. Rear Admiral SLN), will engage himself in providing and improving facilities and basic requirements of the police.
Getting the best out of a team obviously needs provision of basic needs and facilities before assigning it with the task of controlling, preventing and detecting crime and corruption. The Police can consider itself fortunate that a service officer with a clean record is planning to reorganize the department; something that is long overdue and has been neglected.
I suggest the minister selects a team of advisers with a clean background and is knowledgeable from the Retired Senior Police Officers’ Association ( RSPOA) and the Inspectors Association to ensure he is on the correct track as he may not be aware of the Departmental Orders and laws, like the Police Ordinance etc., which empower and guide the police.
Past IGP’s have committed the glaring error of not adhering to some guidelines provided in the Departmental Orders but opting to, satisfy their own aspirations with political patronage. As a result, Sub-Inspectors completing eight years unblemished service have failed to make the rank of Inspector before retirement suffering pension implications affecting whole families. Only an Efficiency Bar, and not cadre approval from the ministry, is needed to effect such promotions after eight years of unblemished service. Some of the officers who have suffered as a result have as many as 35 years dedicated police service. Going to court has been the only option available to them as their appeals had fallen on deaf ears.
Obviously, the department should factor these promotion obligations in calculating its budgetary requirements in the prior year. But this has not been done. I am aware that civilian staff do the annual budgets without direction by senior officers and lack of planning is evident with the votes blindly presented to the ministry. Budgets must be prepared by a qualified team competent to do that job in a department, like the Police. This is one of the reasons, the Police has always lagged behind the forces who give top priority to subjects like these without which no organization can develop.
The minister should be adequately advised by the department, which sadly lacks courage and competence, to urge any government to provide basic requirements. Unfortunately, the department never had courageous officers with integrity to pursue its needs after the late Mr. LDC Herath. I would like to list the following requirements for the consideration of the minister:
POLICE HOSPITAL
(1) The last government allocated land opposite the Police Hospital for its expansion, but unfortunately the SLAF appears to have hijacked this property! What are senior police officers doing? Why are they dumb? The Police Hospital looks like a rural hospital compared to the Army Hospital which looks like a five star hotel. It should be decentralized with clinics in at least every province so that patients in places like Kandy don’t have to come to Colombo for their medicine. There is unconfirmed information that Rs. 20 billion from the Police Reward Fund had been loaned by a former IGP to the army to develop its hospital. Only a special audit, preferably from the Auditor General’s Department, will reveal the truth.
(2) POLICE ACADEMY
The building granted for a Police Academy by the late Mrs Sirimavo Dias Bandaranaike was taken over by the Army as the then IGP had no courage to oppose it. (Or did he encourage it?) Why can’t the Police department create, a proper Academy providing higher training, diplomas, refresher courses and intelligence and investigation training. It could possibly be affiliated to British institutions like Scotland Yard, Metropolitan Police College etc. It could even perhaps offer degrees in law etc to upgrade standards.
(3) COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Stationary, pens and files are not adequately provided to Police stations at present.
Even in this day and age most Police Stations have no duplicating, fax or photocopying machines and most of the staff is not trained to use a computer. I have had personal experience of being told ” No half sheets, Sir, or the typist is not available, please come tomorrow,” when seeking a certified copy of a document. If there is a photocopying machine, stations could conveniently handle such work.
Every Police station is understaffed. Eg. If one visits Mirihana or Cinnamon Gardens Police Station they will tell you “Sir, we have no staff to send on an investigation now as most are on special or guard duties.” Regular police officer trained to prevent , detect and investigate crime are used for ancillary duties. Why can’t the department which scrapped the Reserve Police re- create it and use it for such duties? The department was ruined by an allegedly corrupt and politically biased IGP who absorbed the Reserve Police Into the permanent cadre, depriving many deserving permanent officers of their promotions.
(3) RECRUITMENT & TRAINING
Recruitment of graduates as Probationary ASPs has hurt the prospects of lower ranks seeking promotion to Gazetted rank. In the past there were Constables who rose to the rank of ASP and SP, but today even a Sub Inspector obtaining due promotion is rare. If the department is determined to recruit graduates, they could be recruited as Inspectors and made to gather five years experience managing police stations , investigating and court work etc. After five years, they could be eligible to go before a Promotion Board and seek promotion as an ASP. Today, few directly recruited ASP’s can conduct a case in courts. They are not competent to advise and guide subordinates as they lack experience.
Malaysia has adopted this system of recruiting graduate Inspectors to ensure that they, as ASPs, will know the workings of a Police Stations and will be better able to supervise Police Stations and guide and direct staff with knowledge and expertise. About 30 – 40 years ago, the standard of graduate ASP recruits was much higher than now and they did contribute much to the service.
Training systems must be revised to suit today’s needs with policemen taught to to respect the public and interact harmoniously with people without discriminating between rich and poor, demonstrating that they are Public Servants. They must be trained in all three languages and should be able to record complaints in the language in which they are made.
In the past Vigilance Squads helped the police to solve crime, detect Illicit liquor and apprehend suspects. The OIC or his deputy visited retired public servants whose names and addresses were posted on wall files at police stations to get their support for effective policing.
All Officers should be trained in disaster management, fire fighting, life saving, first aid, and safety measures as stipulated by the Safety Division of the Labour Department. The deterioration of discipline is very evident and I have seen Sub-Inspectors sharing a cigarette with constables!
(4) RE-STRUCTURING POLICE DIVISIONS AND DISTRICTS
(a)Since there are over 57 DIGs. the police department should re-demarcate divisions and districts to ensure that these officers are made use of and don’t merely warm their seats. They must be stationed in the respective Ranges and not in Colombo. At present the DIGs are supposed to visit their Ranges only once a year. This must be changed and they should be required to visit at least twice a week, excluding surprise night visits. They should get more involved in the welfare of staff and be accessible to the public daily obviating the need for people to seek political influence to address their grievances. The Police cadre should be increased if the public is to get a better service with an increase in the number of Police stations. Lack of staff, along with shortage of vehicles, is the main reason for the delay in conducting investigations.
(a)Transport systems are very poor with vehicles from the stations, except for a few, having to be brought to Colombo for attention. Every province should be provided facilities for better maintenance of police vehicles as there is tendency of some stations harassing garages to do free repairs leaving room for corruption.
(b) The Police department should adopt a scheme of insuring vehicles, rather than the Department paying costs in case the driver is at fault. This should be thought of as in according to the law non governmental vehicles cannot run on the ,road without a license. Hence it is illegal, for the Police department which prosecutes others to run their vehicles without a licenses.
(5)SALARIES & WELFARE
The Police department is the lowest paying among all the services though policemen work continuously with no overtime. The Welfare Division is incompetent and far behind those in the other forces. For example, policemen assigned for duties at various points are dropped at these places but never provided return transport. They work for several hours without drinking water or toilet facilities. This seems to be nobody’s business. Why can’t mobiles toilets and drinking water be provided? I do not think the Police department realizes the importance of these facilities. The problem is quite evident especially at check points etc on the Nawala – Narahenpita Rd.
Insurance schemes for officers must be provided in terms of risk etc. Posthumous promotions are of little use to grieving families. Over 650 policemen were massacred by LTTE terrorists (when they had surrendered on the orders of a spineless IGP). The main suspect is still openly in politics but no one cares. Sadly no governments has done the needful for compensating the families of these policemen. A team comprising Of Rtd Senior DIG A. Selvaratnam and Retd. SSP Tassy Seneviratna along with several senior police officers compiled a report with data from the affected families. This was presented it to the then IGP but nothing happened; nor have succeeding IGPs done anything about it. This is the state of the Sri Lanka Police! What can you expect from a Service which celebrated 153 years seeing the IGP remanded!
POLICE ARCHIVES/ MUSEUM
A Police Archives and Museum should be given priority for the public to know what the Police had achieved & sacrificed by way of lives lost and duty done protecting the people; and the excellent investigations conducted in solving serious crimes of various sorts.
Conclusion
Retired police officers, especially, are eagerly and impatiently waiting to assist the new minister and his team in reorganizing the Police Department and improving its service to the Public whilst ensuring quality of service. We certainly hope the department will be able to function without political interference and provide the public with a friendly, not-corrupt professional police.
( The writer is a former Intelligence Officer)
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