The Government and law enforcement authorities take pride in the so-called ‘results’ of the islandwide anti-drug/organised-crime operation termed: Yuktiya. They have dubbed this operation as the best such initiative launched by a government, and seem to be extremely confident that it is going to bring major crimes, especially drug-related ones, to an end.

However, while the authorities continue their arrest spree, the persistent reports of gun crime has been a concern. However, a long standing issue, which has risen to the spotlight again, are concerns about crooked cops and how it affects public safety. That is, law enforcement and at times armed forces personnel, both former and serving, being in league with organised crime elements. Occurrences over the last few years, and their increasing frequency in the last year, point to Policemen, from the lowly Constable beat cop, to senior officers, collaborating with known criminal figures. Meanwhile there are reports of some ex-cops, ex-soldiers and more recently ones in service merely acting as contract killers for organised crime networks. During the past few months, several such persons have been arrested in connection with serious crimes such as murders.

While law enforcement and defence personnel engaging in crimes is not a new development, the recent spate of crimes has sparked fears about public safety. The question many ask is, if those who are tasked with the duty of protecting the public cut deals with criminals, from whom can the public expect safety?

In this regard, the Public Security Ministry has said that it is going to launch awareness-raising programmes in a bid to reduce Police officers building relationships with various organised criminals. It had told The Daily Morning that such programmes is the “only thing” that it can do to prevent such incidents. This type of commentary from the apex ministry entrusted with public safety, speaks of the lack of political will to address the elephant in the room.

The Public Security Ministry’s response may not be a well-thought-out one. Regardless, it shows a great degree of ignorance about the gravity of the issue and a lack of interest in taking effective measures. There is nothing wrong with raising awareness about an issue of this nature. However, when it comes to a national-level public safety issue worsened by none other than law enforcement authorities, raising awareness is one of the most rudimentary and ineffective approaches. Needless to say, any party that takes this situation seriously would not think of it as the only step that it can take.

What is more, awareness raising programmes are for people who lack awareness. But, in this context, that is hardly the case. Police officers are officials who have been specifically trained about and tasked with upholding the law. They already know that committing or abetting murders, for example, is illegal, and attracts serious punishments. It is ludicrous to think that merely educating Police officers about the unlawfulness of engaging in crimes with criminals would make any difference.

Law enforcement and defence personnel working with criminals to commit crimes is not just an issue that requires strict, sustainable, and effective responses. It is also likely to be a growing issue thanks to the economic situation and requires pre-emptive measures. The economic crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the majority of the society, and having to seek easier and profitable income sources is an experience many Sri Lankans, especially those receiving a fixed pay, share. In this context, such Police-criminal partnerships are likely to rise in future unless the authorities take effective and strict measures, and lacklustre measures such as raising awareness will only be effective in fooling a handful of gullible people.

The authorities must be more proactive in identifying Police officers that misuse their position, powers, or privileges to commit crimes in partnership with criminals. Countries around the world provide various examples for such initiatives, the main one being having internal affairs units within Police forces tasked with proactively taking measures to prevent corruption. Integrity tests are also quite popular in Police forces, which has proven to be effective in preventing corruption among Police officers. Above all, these processes need to be handled and/or monitored by an authority that operates independently, and both departmental and national laws, regulations, and policies need to be taken into account.

The Government is quite fond of its Police Department, and does much to support and equip them well for crime fighting and, what is seen increasingly as a vital function; riot control and containing civil disobedience. However, while the Police Department provides an extremely important and useful service, a handful of Police officers joining hands with criminals is more than enough to tarnish the Police’s name. In a context where police torture, custodial deaths, and illegal arrests and detentions are not rare in Sri Lanka’s Police force, not taking Police-criminal partnerships seriously would significantly affect the trust the public has kept in the Police, or what is left of it. Not taking the Police-organised crime collusion issue seriously, would be nothing less than a threat to the rule of law and public safety, the Police’s runs on taxpayer funds and it’s their duty to protect and serve the tax-paying public.