“To live in the hearts of those you love is surely not to die”.
This is so very true of the late Mr. Stanley Senanayake, who left an indelible mark on all who came in contact with him.
When my batch of police trainees entered the Police Training School in January 1957, Mr. Senanayake was the director, and right from the start he made an impact on us. He was friendly, but he was also a stickler for discipline. He also led by example.
Mr. Senanayake and his wife Maya showed immense care for us young officers, and went out of their way to make our stay in the training school no more stressful than necessary.
In later years, when Mr. Senanayake became Inspector General of Police (IGP), he was faced with incredibly trying and difficult situations.
The insurrection of 1971 occurred during his watch. I was working at Police Headquarters at the time, and saw first hand how he handled what seemed like overwhelmingly bad situations.
The attack on the Wellawaya Police station occurred on the night of April 4. Mr. Senanayake was shuttling between his office at Police Headquarters and Temple Trees, giving briefings. At the end of the day, Cyril Herath and I (we shared the same office) decided to stay back and monitor the situation.
Things were looking bad. We contacted the outstations to assess the situation. By 10 p.m., the situation looked very serious.
The Borella Police reported hand bomb explosions. At 10.30 p.m., Mr Senanayake was back in the office, and we briefed him on the latest news. Just then a police officer, accompanied by the late ASP K. S. Perera, burst into the room, saying that all police stations were to be attacked simultaneously at 11 that night.
Mr. Senanayake immediately headed to Temple Trees with the information, while we got on to the job of alerting all the police stations.
What followed was history.
Those were tense days, and Mr. Senanayake was at the heart of the action.
Mr. Senanayake was also IGP at the time of the Non-aligned Conference of 1976, when Colombo hosted 60 or more heads of state. The sheer scale of the event, the complex logistics involved, and the need for precision timing at all times, posed a colossal challenge to the police.
The police had to co-ordinate state drives and meetings of heads of state, formal and informal, at different locations. Heads of state were crisscrossing the city with escorts and sirens blaring.
This was one of the biggest international events ever hosted in Sri Lanka. Mr. Senanayake co-ordinated all the work – both within the Police Department and with other agencies involved.
Mr. Senanayake had the welfare of the rank and file always close to his heart. It was during his tenure that the old police constable uniform, shorts and slouch hats, was replaced by the long trousers and peak caps. He believed that all ranks in the Police should wear the same uniform, with the insignia to denote rank. Sri Lanka set an example for India.
The Madras and Bombay police have adopted the same uniform, discarding the turban and baggy shorts.
It was during Mr. Stanley Senanayake’s time that the Police Officers’ Mess underwent a transformation. He introduced social evenings that included not only the wives but also the children of police officers. The Mess turned into a hive of activity, with the families of the officers sharing in the fun.
Mr. Senanayake was also a champion of the Police Families Welfare Association, spearheaded by his wife Maya Senanayake. This association was the forerunner of similar associations dedicated to the welfare of the families of soldiers and other servicemen.
Mr. Senanayake’s reach extended beyond the Police Department. He was keen to instil discipline in schools, and inaugurated the Police Cadet Corps in many Sri Lanka schools.
The school cadet battalions run by the Army were a huge success. Mr. Senanayake wanted a similar Police Cadet Corps to reach out to the wider rural school population, with an emphasis on service. The Police Cadet Corps in schools became so popular that many school principals scrambled to have a corps in their schools. The only other country then known to have a Police Cadet Corps in schools was Malaysia.
Last but by no means the least of Mr. Senanayake’s contributions was the boost he gave to the Sri Lanka Police Reserves. During his time, this arm of the police grew from a small band of volunteers to a 6,000-strong auxiliary unit. The Sri Lanka Auxiliary Police has become an invaluable source of manpower for special events and during national emergencies.
Mr. Senanayake was a visionary in many ways. He was responsible for many ideas that have borne fruit during his time and long after his demise.
V. Vamadevan |
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