Sunday Times 2
No more a servile officer
Dear Police officer,
During and after the recent Presidential election, you conducted yourselves in performing your duties to the satisfaction of the entire public of this country. After the election, the President and the Prime Minister categorically stated that the law and order situation should be maintained by the Police and that the Government would not interfere in their duties.
Proud to be a police officer: Change of government has restored public confidence in the police to some degree.
For many years, you had been drawing adverse criticism largely due to the blind loyalty you had for the then Government and your reluctance to enforce the law against offenders, who were either members of the ruling party or their henchmen. Quite rightly the public poured scorn on you.
During the past 30 days, you are allowing yourselves to be criticised and pilloried by the public because of your inaction in bringing to book the culprits who had committed serious offences during the past month. Again you are being accused of being servile or blinded by your loyalty to the Government. You were mere onlookers when the UNP MP of Matugama went berserk by firing in the air and humiliated and assaulted an opposition Pradeshiya Sabha member. There have been several complaints by opposition party members regarding assault on their supporters. In many of these cases, the culprits have not been arrested. Your inaction is conspicuous in the complaint against those who went into the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha Office, manhandled the chairman and assaulted him. The CCTV footage clearly showed who the perpetrators were but the suspects are still at large. By your inaction and your habit of showing blind loyalty to politicians in power, you have caused embarrassment to Minister John Amaratunga. The no-confidence motion brought against him is solely because of your failure to arrest the suspects, who, according to the opposition members, are the supporters of the minister.
Do not allow the regained prestige and the good name of the Police to be tarnished once again. Apart from allegations of corruption and nepotism, the downfall of the former Government was to a great extent also due to its interference in the law enforcement agency, preventing the Police to act independently and impartially.
Do not embarrass the new Government by your servility and blind loyalty. You are answerable to none other than the Court of Law. Act independently, courageously and according to the law of the land. This is what the people of this country expect from you.
(The writer is a retired Deputy Inspector General)