• Exact no. of officers facing threats identified by Prisons Dept.

The Department of Prisons stated that a report on prison officers facing various threats has been forwarded to the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya, and intelligence agencies for appropriate action.

Minister of Justice, attorney Harshana Nanayakkara recently said that the Government was paying close attention to officers attached to the Kalutara, Galle, Boossa and Matara Prisons, who were under threat.

When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether any immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of prison officers, the Prisons Department's Media Spokesperson, Prisons Commissioner Gamini B. Dissanayake said that the Department had identified an exact number of officers facing threats. "We have identified the officers under threat, and submitted a report on them to the acting IGP and intelligence agencies. They will take appropriate action based on it."

Dissanayake, on an earlier occasion, said that the department was taking measures to carry out a security assessment of prison officers, considering it a timely need. He said that a security assessment had earlier been conducted in 2020, and that personal firearms had been issued to officers identified as being under threat. These measures follow the killing of a former Superintendent of the Boossa Prison, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Thalagaha, Akmeemana.

Prison officers are increasingly facing threats from organised criminals and drug traffickers, putting their safety at serious risk. They become targets of intimidation and even death, especially when dealing with high-profile inmates or cracking down on illegal activities within prisons.