Following Presidential directive to IGP:

Police to hunt errant officers

Chaminda PERERA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the IGP to investigate 170 complaints made against Police officers following the alleged Police assault in Malabe and murders at Angulana.

Addressing a media briefing at the Information Department, Information and Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said the National Police Commission in its 2008 report had referred over 1,380 complaints against Police officers to the IGP for action.

“Among them over 170 complaints had been classified “very serious” and they would be first investigated into by the Police Department on the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa,” he said.

The Police Commission has monitored over 318 complaints against abuse of powers and 177 complaints for being biased in the discharge of their duties.

The NPC had noted over 448 complaints of police negligence, 92 complaints of assault and 84 complaints against illegal arrest and detention.

Over 33 percent of the complaints received against the police officers were related to police negligence during the course of last year. The highest number of complaints against police officers came from the Colombo and Gampaha districts which are the most populated districts. The Police Commission has received over 238 complaints from the Colombo district and 232 from the Gampaha district.

The Galle district was the third district to complain against the police. Over 161 persons in the Galle district have made complaints against the police.

Minister Abeywardena said the Government will leave no room for indiscipline in the Police Department.

“We have arrested all police officers who were involved in the recent incidents which earned public wrath against the Police department,” he said.

The Minister said the Government took prompt action against these officers and the investigation into these incidents will continue uninterrupted as directed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President Rajapaksa had met the parents and the family members of the two youth who were allegedly murdered by Police officers and granted them compensation.

Meanwhile, Police Spokesman DIG Nimal Mediwaka said the Police Department has set up a special unit to investigate complaints against the police officers after the National Police Commission referred these cases to the Police Department.