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Police Commission Chief breathes fire on modern day ‘Yama Rajjuruwo’
By Frances Bulathsinghala
The strained relationship between the Police Commission and the Police Chief, Indra de Silva seemed to intensify with the Police Commission Chief, Ranjith Abeysuriya accusing the IGP of holding onto the reins of control and preventing the Commission from cleaning up the police.

Mr. Abeysuriya who described the Sri Lankan police as "a sheer hell that no one wants to step into" said last Friday, that the Commission is to recruit civilians as investigators to probe into police corruption and human rights violations.

"We will try as much as possible to avoid recruiting those with police background as there is no public faith in the police", the Police Commission Chief told The Sunday Times in an interview after declaring at a news conference last Friday that the Police Commission did not have any power to curb police corruption. The news conference was held to commemorate the National Police Day.

"The police is the modern 'Yama Rajjuruwo'. We are forced to recruit civilians for our work because of the lack of public faith in the police," Mr. Abeysuriya said charging that the IGP was getting in the way of the Commission.

"At the moment the power to deal with police corruption and discipline lies with the IGP. Blaming us will not do. We will take responsibility only once we are fully provided the freedom to act without interference," Mr. Abeysuriya said.

"We report to no one. We did not canvass for these posts. We have been put here for a purpose. So far there has been absolutely no political interference," claimed the Police Commission head.

According to him the police commission had received 1,327 complaints from the public with 203 complaints falling into the category of assault and torture. "We have received 60 applications and we will choose those who are as remotely connected to the police as possible", he said adding that some of the applications were from retired persons in the Audit Department and the Postal Department.

Describing the Police Commission as an institution set up to give a new face to the police Mr. Abeysuriya said although the 17th amendment had given the Commission- established on November 25, 2002-full powers, in practice the Commission was "powerless with the complete authority of disciplining the police lying with the IGP".

"We are looking into the lapses on the part of the Police Commission. We are also trying to have our own data bank on the discipline of the policemen", Mr. Abeysuriya said.

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