Public security is your No. 1 priority

A few weeks ago on television, we saw your boastful assertions at a press conference, that the Sri Lanka Police, which you proudly head, is capable of managing any threats to the peaceful life and livelihoods of business and civil society, arising from white van abductors, armed robbers, the underworld, thugs, gun tooting gangsters and above all paramilitaries.

You went on to state that there are thousands of men in the force under your command ready to uphold the law, and unlike the public they carry weapons and thus have no fear in facing the gangsters and paramilitaries. You also acknowledged that some members of your team may fail in their duty or fail to adequately respond to the challenges and that you had no hesitation in replacing them with other good men under your command.

The business sector and civil society have not seen any improvement in the reported incidents of serious crime since your assertions.

Reading newspaper reports and watching TV crime reports on a daily basis is an experience of extreme stress for those who care about human security/human rights and a cause for indigestion for those who care about the rapidly deteriorating social values and norms of society.

To cap it all, a recent news report in The Daily Mirror, placed the crown of the wreath of thorns on your head, announcing that “2006 recorded the worst in crime in 30 years” with 61,196 serious crimes, recoding the highest house breakings (19,050), with 7911 looting, 1100 kidnapping, 4163 attacking with sharp weapons , 2045 murders and 1463 rape incidents.
In states where good governance commitments are backed by ethical conduct of fit and proper leaders, the Minister of Internal Security and the IGP would have by now tendered their resignations or at least covered their face in shame. However this is not an accepted norm in Sri Lanka.

At least, at the next press conference please outline clearly,

• What specific steps (not boastful assertions) you propose taking to assure public security?
• You subscribe to the assertion made by the Prime Minister during the opening of a new Police Station, that persons brought into Police Stations should not be offered clean and comfortable chairs, but treated with the usual ‘dose of medicine’ required to get information and solve crime?
• Whether you endorse as a priority for OIC’s and SSP’s to be present when party organizers visit their constituencies, as asserted by one Deputy Minister publicly, stating that a SSP was already at hand?
•Whether the SSP Traffic has the right to close off roads and restrict some public and even private roads only to traffic of residents?
•As to how you safeguard the rights of motorists (doctors on urgent calls, patents in ambulances, the sick and those having to catch flights, etc) when roads are closed for VIP movements and total check of all vehicles on roads?
•As to how you safeguard the rights of motorists who are not sure whether to stop, take to a side or drive on fast, (especially during rain and darkness), when a VIP movement is imminent and are signalled by the policemen and army blowing whistles and waving hands without clarity of expected action?,
• Whether you place priority for the Police to catch innocent minor defaulting motorists as against allocating resources to tackle serious crime and serious traffic offences - One of your gazetted officers darted across a set of yellow lines at a car, as if ready to commit suicide, to wave it down in the mistaken belief that the driver who was merely scratching his ear was using a cell phone whilst driving?
•How you safeguard the interests and assure fair and equitable treatment to minority community members, who fear to seek the help of the Police, especially as their statements are recorded in Sinhalese?Those in business are trained to recognize the environmental risks and market needs, competitive challenges in the market place, limitation of available resources, the need to prioritize strategies, the value of good management information systems and above all leadership action and the magic of allocating resources to optimize longer term returns. Are these practices for good governance in place within the Police force you head? If not what are you doing about it? Business and Civil Society fear to demand due accountability from you, your Minister and the President.

The Parliamentary Select Committees fails to review the current reality. The Police Commission and Human Rights Commissions fail to assure public adequately on human security. Caring NGO’s and the Media are slammed by those in governance. Please clarify what citizens can do to assure their right to human security.
Email:
wo_owl@yahoo.com