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| Monday, 16 February 2004 |
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Editorial | |
| News Business Features Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
| Please forward your comments to the Editor, Daily News. Email : [email protected] Snail mail : Daily News, 35, D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429429 / 94 11 2421181 Fax : 94 11 2429210 Police impartiality The Inspector General of Police has given strict instructions to the Police to observe absolute impartiality in the run-up to and at the April 2nd General Election. Fifty thousand policemen have already been deployed in all police stations. The IGP Indra de Silva has instructed his men to be firm and arrest any troublemaker irrespective of how big or influential a person he may be and his political affiliations. An election secretariat has been established with DIG Gamini Navaratne heading it as the focal point of the police polls operation. The Police Chief has warned that stern action would be taken against errant policemen. The officers in charge of Police Stations will be firmly dealt with for any neglect of duty. In the past, too, Mr. de Silva's predecessors have issued strict instructions to the Police Force to act without fear or favour in maintaining law and order at General Elections. However, throughout the years, there have been growing violence and policemen have been faulted often for breaching the law, due to being politically aligned, intimidation, corruption and other material benefit. While commending the IGP for his orders to the Police Force to observe strict impartiality at the forthcoming polls and the run up to it, we stress that he should set up a mechanism, possibly a separate unit, to detect instances of the more conspicuous non conformity with his orders and to inquire and speedily deal with errant officers, without being hamstrung by the usual red-tapeism which is rampant in the Police as much as in all other areas of the public service. The IGP's hand has been strengthened by the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake pledging his full cooperation and support in carrying out his enormous task. That the Police and the Elections Commissioner's Department dovetail into each other at any poll, more so a General Election, is essential. Grave-crimes at elections have been endemic in this country for quite some time. It is getting worse, not better. Assassination and attempted assassination, murder, thuggery, intimidation, assault, have become a feature. This sordid trend must end. The people of this country, every man and woman, as dutiful peace loving citizens must vehemently oppose and give their unstinted support to the law enforcement authorities in their efforts to prevent and combat violence at the forthcoming General Elections. |
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