Crime fighting in Sri Lanka, generally, remains as rather a primitive affair compared to other nations, with law enforcement often being more about theatrics and less on the number of successful processions. Taking low-level offenders “off the streets” is a daily function of the Police, and yes the jails and remand prisons are overflowing with them. What is lacking, is the “captains of organised crime” being brought to book and prosecuted effectively.   

To an observer, the function of the law enforcement apparatus in Sri Lanka, will highlight that there are three sectors that are of top priority for it; firstly, the pursuit of making politicians happy, and ensuring their safety and wellbeing is taken very seriously. Secondly, the Police are skilled in containing and disrupting civil disobedience and protest marches. Thirdly, the Police are quite skilled in combating low-level crimes, and act swiftly on them. Where the Police seem to lose their focus is in building solid cases which bring prosecutions and combating major crimes, such as narcotics trafficking, high-level corruption, murder for hire, and seem to be weak in collaring high-profile cases. If you ask the Police to give you the number of high-profile cases they’ve handled where they have secured successful prosecutions, you will find that they are few and far between. Further, given the way the courts system functions in Sri Lanka, many cases take a decade or more to be heard and a judgement reached.  All of this, combined, bode well for Sri Lanka as a country.         

The Police recently conducted a pre-announced “sweep” of the island, with a particular focus on the Western and Southern Provinces, which have seen a spate of shootings, murders and are known hot spots for organised crime elements. According to the Police, who were at pains to highlight their achievements from two day anti-narcotics and -organised crime operation, had netted a total of 2,121 suspects – including 2,020 men and 101 women. Among them, the Police stated, detention orders (DOs) are to be obtained on nearly 60 suspects, who will be questioned, and 133 suspects are to be referred for rehabilitation. According to the Police, among the arrestees are 169 who have been wanted in ongoing investigations. While the Police is clearly ready for a victory lap, law enforcement has more to do with professionalism and rule of law, than showmanship.

While the press reports suspects being nabbed on a daily basis, either related to drug peddling or the hired gunmen who are now rampaging across the South and West of the island, it is evident that few of the crime kingpins get prosecuted and jailed. Many cases built by the Police fall apart before a strong defence legal team, or the case is poorly argued by the prosecutors. The prosecutors blame the Police for shoddy investigations, confessions and evidence which do not stand up in court. The Police have often, off the record, blamed the prosecutors for not supporting them and of negligence. Irrespective of who is right or wrong, justice is not served. And with the aid of competent legal defence, which any suspect is constitutionally entitled to, many kingpins get off the hook. The bottom line is the Police have to up their game, they have to do the leg work, do solid investigations, gather strong evidence, which can be held up in court.

The newly appointed, controversial, Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), has given crime a “deadline” and promised to get the situation under control soon. The Minister of Public Security, has come out to endorse the new IGP as the “right man for the job”. This, despite a Supreme Court order which has pointed out that the newly-minted IGP had violated the fundamental rights of a suspect. The acting IGP has always been a controversial figure, with many allegations levelled against him ranging from abuse of power, to custodial deaths. The acting IGP has come on broadcast media and delivered an age-old message, which many before him have used, “I will be tough on crime – I will clean this mess up”. Like many heads of Police before him, the current IGP knows that theatre and showmanship can get him through his tenure, as short as it may be. However, Sri Lankan society, battered and bruised by many crises, deserves real policing. Sri Lankans deserve a safe and secure country. The last thing they need for the Police is to be a televised drama routine, which is ineffective in the real world. We have Parliament fulfilling that role.