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by S. J. Anthony Fernando (Media Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior)

Quite a din has been raised regarding the recent spate of incidents of crime and accidents. Statements issued recently by certain leaders of the Peoples Alliance including the President have attempted to project a picture that there is an increase in crime during the past six months and on that score there had been a breakdown in the law and order situation in the country.

A striking contradiction arises from this scenario. Why were such issues as a breakdown in law and order situation not figure when the crime rate ran high during certain periods under seven years of PA rule? Perhaps it may have been overshadowed by the greater destruction and havoc caused due to the North East war and the resultant disturbance of peace in the South.

Now with a comparatively peaceful atmosphere prevalent in the South after the signing of the casefire agreement (barring a few hiccups about ceasefire violations) with the people going about their normal business without inhibitions about where the next bomb would go off it is only natural that the PA now in Opposition would attempt to fill the void by raising an issue on the breakdown of the law and order situation based on the claim of an increased crime rate during past few months.

There have been certain periods during past seven years too when the crime rate had risen sharply which on the strength of the present allegation could also be construed as a breakdown in law and order. However a perusal of statistics of the crime rate available with the Police Headquarters would give an insight into the recent trend of the crime situation. These statistics reveal that various crimes recorded during first quarter of this year (2002) is only marginally more than that recorded during the first quarter of last year (2001) under PA rule reflecting a uniform trend of the crime rate this year as well compared to early part of 2001.

For example the number of Murders reported for the first quarter of 2002 was 356 compared to 304 reported for same period in 2001. Instances of extortions reported for first quarter of 2002 was 31 whereas for the same period in 2001 it was 34. Robberies reported for first quarter of 2002 was 1467 while it was 1250 for same period in 2001. Abductions reported for first quarter 2002 was 187 while for 2001 it was 165. Other assorted offences reported for first quarter of 2002 was 11,797 for 2001 it was 11,090. Above statistics show that the number of various types of crimes had risen only marginally during first quarter of 2002 compared to 2001 contrary to the PA claim that it had risen sharply this year.

While admitting that a serious view had to be taken with regard to the incidents of crime it would be naive to think that committed due to personal disputes or pay off private grudges or accidents caused due to negligence or carelessness of drivers - all problems accumulated over several years of neglect and inaction, can be attributed to a breakdown in law and order and blaming it all on the Ministry of Interior and its Minister who has been only six months in office.

There had been instances of breakdown in law and order in times of civil commotion or when the civil liberties of the people are held to ransom by some group or party or when state sponsored gangs go on rampage causing harm to life and property and harassing those who hold the opposite political view, as had been the experience in the recent past. What is of significance is that during the past six months though there had been a spate of reports of general criminal acts reported there had not been any major instances of state sponsored terror squads harassing people merely because they hold the opposite view to warrant the situation to be called a breakdown in law and order. A few isolated incidents which had occurred due to personal disputes and rivalries and certain persons taken into custody on offences being roughed up by police have been investigated and acted upon.

As any ordinary layman knows the causes that lead people to commit crime and even circumstances leading to road accidents are deep rooted and not Phenomena developed within six months but which had grown over a period of several years. Degradation of social and spiritual values, resenting other peoples point of view, economic factors, are some of the causes which have led to commission of crimes. Even the causes for the accidents are attributed to various reasons ranging from drunken or negligent driving, drivers not adequately trained being issued licenses through underhand means, vehicles not roadworthy playing on roads,motorists not adhering to traffic rules etc. which is a malaise developed over several years. Giving political overtones for normal occurrence of crime and accidents tend to distort reality.

However, there is a great responsibility cast on the Police and law enforcement officers to act impartially and forcefully in prevention of crime and other offences as well as bringing offenders to book after commission of a crime in view of the large number of criminal elements roaming freely-be they underworld elements, army deserters,drug peddlers,smugglers and even people struck by greed to get what they want by hook or by crook-who are all the products of the war mentality and gun culture that came into being as a result of the violent upheavals the country experienced in the North-East as well as in the South. The situation is made graver when one considers that an estimated 10,000 weapons given to various politicians and others are in circulation and which are suspected to be possession of these undesirable elements.

An amnesty given early this year by the Minister of Interior John Amaratunga did not receive much response. However the Police which cracked down were able to recover some weapons.

It was also well known that the Police Force came to be highly politicized during past years, particularly during past seven years when it became more chronic. It is no easy task to get the Police force out of this mental framework in which many cadres had been forced to submit to. It is hoped that the proposed Police Commission would be able to put things right. Realising a start had to be made somewhere Minister of Interior John Amaratunga no sooner he assumed office emphatically told the Police hierarchy of the UNF Government's determination to rid the Police of such subservience on politicians.

As a first step he released hordes of policemen attached to politicians to the police stations to do their normal police duties which resulted in more police personnel deployed to do patrols which were absent in the recent past. The next step was to improve police-public relations which had deteriorated so as to create a conducive atmosphere at Police Stations so that no one can fear to go to a police station. This process of receiving everyone who goes to a station to make a complaint courteously, and complaints recorded correctly and promptly and to investigate them is now going ahead. As a Minister himself said they should prepare the ground for the Police Commission which would ensure that all are treated equally.

However, the Minister in the midst of being engaged in this activity has earned the wrath of the PA being accused of politicizing the police force during the past six months in a scenario similar to the pot calling the kettle black. However if this is analysed more deeply one could discern that the accusation stems from the action taken by the Minister to implement a policy decision taken by the UNF Government to investigate all cases of misdeeds including violence and illegal acts including misues of Government property and vehicles, harassment of political opponents, artists, journalists etc alleged to have been committed during seven years of PA rule. This including a host of illegal acts and harassment of persons by personnel of the Presidential Security Division. Complaints made by the aggrieved parties of these alleged misdeeds have been swept under the carpet during past seven years. But now investigations are being conducted by police into several cases.

What the Minister of Interior has done, as he had emphasized in several of his media briefings, was to allow the law to take its normal course rather than taking other action such as appointing Commissions to investigate into these misdeeds as the previous government did spending huge sums of people's money. Ultimately what these Commissions did was to sling mud and character assassination not only persons who are the subject matter of the inquiry but also those not even remotely involved in them, he emphasized.

In the course of Police investigations the names which figure in these cases have to be questioned and statements recorded and action filed if there is sufficient evidence in consultation with the Attorney General. As a result a large number of PA personalities have to be questioned and depending on the strength of the evidence they would be taken into custody or released. As is known under the laws no person can keep in custody without concrete evidence.

As Minister John Amaratunga has declared, it is not a witch hunt or taking political revenge. He has said: "These cases were well known but not investigated in the past. We are under pressure by the aggrieved parties regarding the delay in starting investigations. We have started investigating only a part of the complaints so far. It is essential that these cases are investigated and finished off once and for all. All action taken would be under normal laws of the land and cases would be filed only if there is sufficient evidence and if the person is innocent the courts will certainly discharge them. We will not and do not have the power to interfere with the judicial process."

The Minister emphasized that investigations have been launched into complaints made by PA supporters against UNP members. "We will not interfere in such matters too and allow the normal procedure to be followed" he said.

The Minister also emphasized that during the past six months the Police had undertaken unprecedented action against underworld elements so much so that these gangs are openly clashing with each other.

We have even launched a concerted action against drug traffickers and I have given strict instruction to act against them irrespective of their social standing or political leanings. The detection of drug related offenders had trebled. One thing of note is that though there had been a sudden spaort of crimes, prompt action taken by police had helped in apprehending the offenders. The Police have now deployed a network of communication where a crime committed in one division is relayed to all divisions promptly so as to round up the offenders.

In fact the present action taken no doubt serves as a deterrent to present day politicians and supporters too in that no one is above the law and if any wrong doing is committed, someday the long arm would reach them. There is no doubt that even security officers of the present Ministers would be vigilant not to be at the receiving end as the PSD is presently faced with.

PA statements had cited the prison riot at Tangalla too as "an indication of a serious breakdown in law and order". One is at a loss to understand how the circumstances leading to these incidents stem from a breakdown in law and order during past six months when in fact the grievance of the prisoners who had been taken into custody for serious crimes during the PA regime, had rioted complaining that they had been incarcerated in acute congestion for over two years without their trial being heard. And it is quite a tall order for the PA to complain that the present government should have solved this problem in six months when they could not do so in two years.

The acute Congestion and poor condition of Prisions in the island had been well known to be existent for several decades and it is now in fact during past two months that new prisons are being opened in order to ease the congestion.

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