UNP to upgrade Police service

by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

The UNP will implement an action plan to upgrade the Police service while laying emphasis on the improvement of the welfare and working conditions of the Police officers.

"We have presented a clear programme to upgrade the Police service.In contrast, the UPFA and their spokesmen are criticising and accusing the Police service and Police personnel. This is highly unreasonable," UNP's Deputy General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a press briefing at the Opposition Leader's office yesterday.

He explained that Police personnel render a noble service in the area of public security." Instead of criticising the Police force, we must focus on improving the Police service and provide it with due facilities and incentives."

He also pledged that those in the Police service will be provided an additional one month's salary in December as a bonus along with all other public service.

Attanayake said after their leader Ranil Wickremesinghe assumes duties as President, the UNP will take steps to amalgamate the reserve Police cadres into the regular Police service under a special ordinance without creating anomalies in the current system. "We will also introduce a mechanism to make the employment of "Grama Arakshaka (Home Guard) force and Security assistant officers permanent." he added.

He said Pime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse's spokesman Minister Mangala Samaraweera has made a statement criticising the Police." Even JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe made a statement against the Army. The UNP condemned both these statements. We express our protest. It is wrong to criticise the security forces and Police. Now the UPFA and its spokesmen are frightened and that is why they are making this kind of derogatory statement."

Attanayake refuted accusations against the UNP that it would divide the country."We in the UNP will never divide the country.

We will unite the country and bring lasting peace." Referring to a statement by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at a meeting in Bibile, Attanayake said as President she has very correctly mentioned it was slain JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera who first proposed to give a separate state for Tamils. "It is the JVP which has first proposed a separate state for the Tamils. Now they are telling a different thing. We request the Prime Minister to look into these issues," he added.