Police to accept E-mail, SMS complaints - IGP

To help build Drug Free Nation by 2011:

The public can make complaints to the Police Department through E-mail and SMS. This is in addition to the 119 hotline number. The Police Department will promptly attend to these complaints said IGP Mahinda Balasuriya.

The IGP was addressing the media at the Police Headquarters last afternoon.

The IGP said the Police Department is allout to build a Drug Free Nation by 2011 in keeping with the ‘Maththata Thitha Concept’ of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Police stations in the country and the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) had recovered huge quantities of hard drugs including 134 kilos of heroin during raids conducted last year. Several suspects were taken into custody for trafficking and consuming hard drugs. Some of them had been produced in the respective courts, the IGP said. A training course for Police personnel in respect of Court cases is paramount to trace suspects who had committed crimes and are evading arrest.

“A special team led by an ASP had been setup to follow the court proceedings, said Inspector General of Police.”

“This training course was conducted by the Crime Division of the Police Department in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Police Academy at the Crime Division Training at “Vilasitha Niwasa” Colombo,” he said. The IGP thanked officers who assisted in conducting classes during the training course.

“This training course is important to the Police personnel who are conducting cases before a court of law. It will also educate the police personnel to gain knowledge about the court proceedings.”

The IGP emphasised that the police personnel had been educated on three sections of crimes how to conduct proceedings before courts. The three sections are, organised crimes, hard drugs trafficking and illicit liquor.

“The course was conducted on the guidelines of relevancy of facts collected at the primary police investigations. ‘B’ report institution of prosecution and charge. Relevancy of Audio-Video recordings and computer evidence. Issuing of a copy of first complainant. Identification parade and evidence of accomplice. Intellectual Property Act No.36 of 2003 and its relevancy and examination of witnesses and cross examination,” he said.

Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director General Lakshman Hulugalle, Senior DIG N K Illangakoon, Senior DIG KPP Pathirana, DIGs Sisira Mendis, Lalith Jayasinghe, Senior SPs Ravi Waidyalankara, Sarath Baddewela, Police SP Prishantha Jayakody also participated at the conference.