Take all steps to eradicate drug menace - IGP

by Sarath Malalasekera

Senior and Junior Police staff of the Police Narcotics Bureau have a prime duty to conduct investigations against hard drug traffickers and take all steps necessary to eradicate the drug menace from the country in keeping with the "Mahinda Chintana," said Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando addressing the PNB officials at the PNB auditorium yesterday afternoon.

Senior DIG Jayantha Wickremaratne, Senior Technical Advisor (ICTTAP) Kevin Kittridge of the Department of Justice, USA, Roshen Wijesuriya and Luckshman Edirisinghe assisting, Senior Technical Advisor Kittridge and PNB Acting Director Superintendent of Police I. M. Karunaratne were at the head table. Officers of all ranks of the PNB participated at the conference at the PNB auditorium.

Bring honour to the Police Department and do your job properly in conducting investigations and prosecuting the traffickers. The Police Department will provide maximum training for the PNB officers and make all the necessary sophisticated equipment available for their use. In addition to all this assistance the Police Department will also give them their due promotions and rewards, the IGP told the PNB officials of the all ranks yesterday.

The IGP emphasised that the PNB officials have an important task to perform in order to protect the youth of this country from using hard drugs and to prevent them from.

Out of 65,000 strength of the Police Force the entire country is watching the activities of the few PNB officials who were entrusted and trained to wipe out the drug menace from the country, the IGP said.

"If PNB officials are having any difficulty in performing their official duties to the best of ability, bring it to my notice," the IGP told the PNB officials.

'We have to train and make the Policemen professional. Then only a quality service will be delivered to the public. I as head of the Police Department will look into their problems, promotions, housing, transfers and salary, faced by the rank and file and Inspectors. These things have to be given priority to maintain law and order efficiently,' the IGP added.

Senior DIG Jayantha Wickremaratne addressing the PNB officials said that the 'clean up operation' in keeping with the "Mahinda Chintana" has done an excellent job by arresting the hard drug traffickers in the Colombo district and producing them before courts.

This operation will be conducted in other parts of the country to arrest all the hard drug traffickers, Senior DIG Wickremaratne said.