Similar to a Hollywood blockbuster production, the “Operation Yukthiya (Justice)” recently launched by the newly appointed acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) has captured the attention of the masses, giving them, at least for a brief moment, the illusion that law enforcement is functioning properly in Sri Lanka. And why wouldn’t the average Joe believe the narrative which is being sold, the operation was a show of force, with the Police and the Special Task Force (STF) deploying in numbers, with a brigade of media personnel and shutterbugs in tow. The ongoing operation seems to be more about publicity than taking off the street's kingpins. Perhaps the new police administration wants to appear tough and get a pat on its back from the Government.
On Tuesday (19) the Ministry of Public Security also hosted a group of media personnel, at the Police Officers mess in Colombo, where the new “acting” IGP was welcomed and the guests allowed to wine and dine. It is evident that the new “acting” IGP and his backers, know the time-tested formula which effectively works, and that is law enforcement through showmanship and theatre. And rallying “friendly” media personnel who may help further a narrative that the law enforcement situation is indeed improving, is part and parcel of the package.
The net the Police cast was wide for “Operation Yukthiya”, and over 2000 suspects were arrested. Some will be held on detention orders for questioning. Some of the suspects arrested were wanted and had warrants issued for them.
However, sources close to the operation and in the corrections system have pointed out that while the operation has nabbed several notable mid-level “captains” of the organised crime groups, the bulk of the suspects who were found in “possession of”, are heroin and methamphetamine addicts. As such, the sudden influx of thousands of suspects have added to the strain on the Prisons Department which is already struggling with a prison overcrowding issue. It is learnt that the sudden influx of suspects, some who will be remanded will strain resources and space within the many prisons in Sri Lanka. These include several dozens of child suspects and hundreds of women, who are normally housed separately.
A Senior Jailor told The Daily Morning that among those who were arrested as suspects, there is a sizable number of drug abusers who are addicted to substance abuse. Some of them are former inmates who had followed rehabilitation programmes and were released at large, and have relapsed. Anyone who has observed the narcotic addiction issue, knows that relapse is common among those who fall deep into substance abuse. The question is, will arresting them and putting them behind bars, even for a short period, would do any good to the community or to them? Firstly, such suspects and known drug abusers should be directed towards rehabilitation and not incarceration. Twenty years of experience in combating narcotics should give the Sri Lanka Police, the Judiciary and Prisons Department an insight that locking-up drug addicts seldom causes a change in behaviour. However, such hard learnt lessons seems to have been put aside with the Police going for such theatrics.
Sri Lanka has a genuine problem in prison overcrowding. A number of reports, including several by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) have pointed this out. In 2021, the Prison’s Department itself published a report on the matter, with short-term and long-term options to remedy the crisis. Further, overcrowding, improper standards, and management often leads to violence within prison. Following the disastrous prison unrest incident at Mahara Prison in November 2020, where a number of prisoners were killed, the HRCSL highlighted that “As confirmed by prisoners and prison officials, overcrowding is causing general unrest and fueling the fear of the spread of Covid-19.” According to the Department, the current prison capacity stands at 13,241 as of 2021, but the actual number of inmates far exceeds this, with approximately 29,000 individuals held earlier this year. While multiple governments have acknowledged the issue, little has been done to reduce prison congestion. As such, the Police and the new police administration should focus on putting away key organised crime figures and kingpins to make a real dent in crime, not “sardine-pack” more low-level offenders and narco addicts into an already jam-packed prison system.