“It is all about quick thinking and being firm and assertive while keeping a cool head,” reflects former Senior DIG (Deputy Inspector General) of Police, looking back on roughly 35 years of service in the Police Force.
When in 1965, Merril Gunaratne joined the Police Force as a young Probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sri Lanka had yet to face some of the upheavals which have had an impact on its contemporary political scenario today. The country had yet to face the turbulence of the JVP insurrection, the ’83 riots and the ethnic conflict which followed shortly after.
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Merryl : “A good leader must sink or swim with his men”.
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Fresh out of the University of Peradeniya where he had successfully completed a BA in history, the field of law enforcement was one which had appealed to him for a while, having seen his brother set off on a career in the Army.
Being in the thick of the action and being thrown headlong into perilous situations on a regular basis, never seemed to faze Merril Gunaratne, who in his second book- ‘Cop in the Crossfire’- launched on Friday documents an interesting period in Sri Lanka’s political history, speaking out against much of the hypocrisy and injustice which characterized the time and providing some valuable insights on an effective way forward in the field of law enforcement.
The Crossfire he refers to is both literal and figurative.
The book documents several instances of heavy mob violence and hostage situations in which Merril- a formidable figure as Deputy Inspector General- became well known for a strict adherence to the law and fair play at all times.
“That should be the principle on which a policeman operates,” he says- “to help maintain order by applying the law without bias.”
On the subject of corruption which has become synonymous with law enforcement, Merril is firm in the belief that the leadership of today is not the sole candidate for blame. “Although much needs to be changed, “ he says, “what must be pointed out is that the corruption is something of a cancer which politicians and society have inherited as a result of leadership turning a blind eye to it decades ago.”
“If a surgeon was to operate on a patient suffering from cancer in its advanced stages,” he continues, “can he be blamed for not being able to eradicate the cancer entirely? My question is, why was the malignancy not nipped in the bud in its early stages? What did the service heads do when the seeds of corruption and malpractice were planted?”
In this tone, the book carries recollections- often controversial- of instances in which the leadership failed. The recollections and anecdotes serve in one way as a reminder to some- they know who they are- of their lack of integrity, and to others, of the fact that some, a few courageous men, did their best to make a positive change, sacrificing their positions in the process.
Working to the axiom of Sydney De Zoysa, one time Director of the Police Training School whose dictum had been ‘There are no bad men, only bad leaders,’ Merril is a firm believer in the fact that the ‘Each for himself’ mentality cannot apply to leadership.
He writes, “A paradigm that is universally applicable is that the holder of the apex position in any vocation has to be a strong, professional, assertive, knowledgeable, experienced leader for the agency concerned to flourish and prosper. Should he display ignorance, hesitancy, ambiguity and inability to assume responsibility for failures of those below him as much as he savours and shares their success, the service would lapse to a state of demoralization and confusion.”
Maintaining that a good leader must “sink or swim” with his men, it is clear from his reminiscences that Merril Gunaratne worked by this principle, even facing an undesirable transfer as a result.
Amidst the suggestions for improvement which form a significant portion of ‘Cop in the Crossfire’ Merril Gunaratne narrates the instance of a successful campaign to eradicate child prostitution in Negombo. “Apart from having the police involved as an important part of the campaign, what I wanted was to have a comprehensive task force comprising hotels, the Department of Probation and Childcare, the clergy and the public in general who would remain vigilant and maintain responsibility in ensuring that they helped put a stop to child prostitution. This was very effective; shortly after the task force was established there was a noticeable decline in the number of cases because there was maximum involvement from several parties.”
Applauding the success of entities such as the Special Task Force (STF) and the Army, Merril declares that processes still need to be streamlined. “It is important to have officers in the thick of things,” he comments. “If not how would they be able to really get into the task at hand?” he asks recalling his time as Director General of Intelligence and a particularly efficient Intelligence team comprising Upali Seneviratne, SP W. de Silva, Anton Jeyanathan, G. H. Indradasa, Ariyasena, Jayasinghe and Pat Swaris. “Intelligence is a challenging and highly rewarding field; and good intelligence officers cannot be expected to sit behind a desk all the time.”
In his epilogue which he describes as an afterthought which was the result of a moment of inspiration, Merril speaks of the grim realities of his profession. He writes, “Perhaps, a Sub Inspector or a Probationary ASP who has to take decisions in the discharge of his very first assignment, may apply on the ground, what he had been taught. He may at night put his head on the pillow, thinking that he had carried out his first assignment righteously…But it may be possible that on the following day he may be accused by his superiors that a person of influence in the power structures had found fault with him for the manner in which he had discharged his first assignment.”
Despite this, the former Senior Deputy Inspector General maintains that the feeling of successfully stepping up to a challenge and contributing to the enforcement of justice is worth every pitfall.
Released on November 11, ‘Cop in the Crossfire’ is priced at Rs. 650 and available at bookshops. |
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