Police will take control of former LTTE-held areas -IGP

Sarath Malalasekera

The Police Force and Special Task Force (STF) contributed to the efforts of the Forces to gain the recent victory over the LTTE terrorists by maintaining peace, law and order in the South and the liberated areas. The three Armed Forces were directly and heavily involved in eradicating terrorism from Sri Lanka, said IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne.

Specially assigned Civil Security Committees established by the Police department also played a prominent part to maintain Law and Order in the respective Provinces.

Now the Police Department had established 37 Police stations in the East and seven Police stations in the North. Among them are Madhu, Veddithalative, Illupakadavi and Omanthai. Fourteen more Police Stations are scheduled to be established in Kilinochchi, Mankulam and Mulaitivu, said IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne.

The Three Armed Forces and the Police have taken over the control of all the former LTTE-controlled areas. We are proud to say that under the able leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa the whole of Sri Lanka is now under one flag, the IGP said.

“I am proud to announce that the Police Department has several professionally qualified Policemen and Women who had undergone training locally and overseas. They are an asset to the Police Department. Those qualified Police personnel will train other officers who are following various training courses and will be deployed in the newly established North and the East Police Stations,” the IGP said.

The IGP also paid tribute to the parents who gave permission to enlist their children to join the Police Force in order to maintain law order in the country. A Tamil language training course also will be established soon for Police Personnel, the IGP added.

While saluting the jubilant Forces, I will give special consideration to look after the welfare of the Police families who were killed in the war and the disabled Police persons. Accordingly I give priority to their welfare, the IGP said.

The IGP emphasised that the contribution made by the STF to win the war in the Eastern Province was a remarkable one. STF confronted several leading LTTEers killed in the Easter Province and recovered a large number of explosives and weapons from their possession.