The Department of Police has stated that it is taking disciplinary actions against Police officers who commit various misconducts more rigorously than any other government agency when it comes to discipline.
In the recent past, frequent incidents of Police officers committing misconducts have been reported, with many leading the Judiciary to order disciplinary actions against the relevant officers.
When queried about the matter, Police Media Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police Nihal Thalduwa highlighted the stringent disciplinary measures within the Department compared to other government agencies. “The Department is more concerned about officers' discipline than any other Government institution. Even if there is a minor disciplinary violation by a Police officer, actions are definitely taken against them,” he said.
Noting that disciplinary action against senior Police officers is taken by the National Police Commission (NPC) and against other officers by the Police Department, he emphasised that the Department faces no barriers to executing these actions properly. “When it comes to other government institutions, there are trade unions that disrupt disciplinary procedures, but the Police Department doesn't have such barriers in implementing disciplinary action,” he explained.
There have been incidents of Police officers committing various forms of misconduct, such as exhibiting bias, the improper handling of public complaints, and the misuse of power. Additionally, individuals have filed fundamental rights cases before the Supreme Court against Police officers on various matters. In many of these cases, the SC has ordered disciplinary action to be taken against the officers found guilty.
Recently, The Daily Morning reported that the NPC received a total of 2,448 public complaints against Police officers through its main channels for receiving complaints last year (2023). The complaints included 810 for ‘inaction by Police’, 563 for the ‘misuse of power’, 450 for ‘partiality’, 112 for ‘bribery and corruption’, 93 for ‘framing false allegations’, 55 for ‘drug-related offences’, 34 for ‘unlawful detention’, and the rest for various other reasons.