Beyond policing:

Role of Civil Society

Asoka Wijetilleka Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Western Province, Field Force Headquarters Traffic Administration and Road Safety In every civilized society, a Police system exists for the common good of the entire community. World over, the primary duty of any Police Force is the prevention and the detention of crime and criminal law enforcement with the view to apprehending perpetrators of crime and collecting evidence against them enabling them to be prosecuted in Courts of law.

Of course, based on the nature the structure of the state and its organs and the system of law and justice, the structure and the powers and functions of the Police vary from country to country. Due to 130 years of British colonial rule, Sri Lanka inherited a Police system similar to its former colonial rulers - the United Kingdom.

In many countries including in Sri Lanka, the laws and statutes specify the function of the Police Force, the obligation for it to be an institution for crime prevention and to function in this capacity. However, it meets with misunderstanding and often veiled opposition when it seeks to assert its preventive and social role. This attitude which is widespread among the public, must be changed.

Maintenance of law

The powers and functions of the Sri Lanka Police is set-out, defined and stipulated in written laws, including particular the Police Ordinance, Code of Criminal Procedure Act and the Prevention of Crimes Ordinance. The manner in which such powers and functions are to be exercised are set out in administratively issued directives and circulars.

Police officers in Sri Lanka are primarily responsible for the maintenance of law, prevention of the commission of the crime, detection of crime, investigation of crime with the view to identifying and apprehending suspects, collecting evidence and thereby facilitating their prosecution in Courts of law. In minor and not too serious crime, the prosecution of offenders is also carried out by the Police in Magistrate Courts.

On the one hand, the Police is often criticized for its coercive rule, while on the other, its attempts purely preventive and social work are ill-received. “That’s not its job” is often heard with allusion to the alleged in compatibility between its coercive functions and its preventive aspirations.

Due to serious security threats faced by the country as a result of separatist terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE until two years ago, who propagated to establishing a mono-ethnic, mono-political separate sovereign state in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Police was completed to assume additional responsibilities for the protection of the state, sovereignty, its national leaders, the civilian population and property.

National security functions

In this regard, the Sri Lanka Police has been required to perform unconventional duties similar to those performed by the three Security Forces. The deployment of personnel to perform national security functions which was an essential need with a view to protecting the territorial integrity and national sovereignty and investigating terrorists acts, did lead to virtually one half of the entire 87,000 odd Police Force deployed either in the Northern and Eastern provinces (generally referred to as ‘Operational areas’) or engaged in providing security of guarding vital installations.

As a result, such deployment which was the priority at that time, and necessarily had to take precedent, the number of Police personnel, available to perform conventional Police duties such as patrolling for the purpose of preventing the commission of crime, early detection of crime and receiving intelligence and conducting criminal investigations, became far less than the actual number of officers required to carrying out duties and responsibilities effectively. With the normalcy back on track the Police are now involved in their role of normal policing, enforcing law and order.

Nevertheless, efforts to prevent crime must also include the teaching of conventional values. In this context, it is also necessary to find ways to strengthen individual bonds to society, commitment to the conventional order and participation in conventional activities. The best way is to strengthen the institution that socialise people and continue to regulate their behaviour through out life-the family, the school, the work place. Personal (inner) controls are also as important as social (External) controls in keeping people from committing crimes.

Thus, it would be seen that solution to control crime is not only in the hands of the Police. It has a combination of multiple factors, to put it very simply, the public behaviour; their perception; attitudes; more importantly obedience to law, respect for authority, upholding values, investment in custom and traditions - they all too play a major role - a role that will certainly supportive in the maintenance of law and order by Police.

In this respect functions of supportive bodies could play a pivotal role. For example we the Police, at the initiation of the Defence Secretary have now formed civil security committees islandwide with the active participation of citizens. Everyone could be a part of them, be a driving force to support us in the flow of information to curb crime or could group together to support crime prevention mechanisms to educate the civil society and be volunteers in providing information relevant to identities and whereabouts of perpetrators of crime, detection of vice including narcotic drugs and other illegal activities evil to the society.

In the light of what is said, the conceptions of its vocation in the field of crimes prevention must, at the outset, be shared by all those who are capable of helping the Police either through moral influence in the country or through their professional relations with the Police such as judges, sociologists, criminologists, social workers, probation officers and above all by peace loving citizens.

If you look back, the history reveals that crime has been analysed in the last century from every aspects; biological, theological, sociological, psychological and economical. Evolution theory has taught us that we evolved in animal state where killing and being killed was part of natures’ design.

Duties and functions

Millions of years have passed and we have shed more of our instinct. Our minds are however still pre-occupied with the most predatory instincts and society is pervaded by overt and covert forms of violence, generating a general climate of irrationality.

Let me turn towards you and leave a thought for consideration. No Police system in this world has ever succeeded by functioning in isolation. No Police Force has been able to effectively deal with crime and other law and order problems without the active support of the community it services. Therefore, every citizen as members of the civil society, as conscientious community and social leaders of Sri Lanka, should also help the Police in the discharge of its duties and functions.

The best solution is to have only one urge and that should always be allowed to exist; the urge to live in peace. The war has now ended. Peace has dawn. Two years have gone by. Now what we need is to bring-forth discipline, respect and obedience to law and prevent criminal activity and social turbulence. In this context not only the Police but the people too have a vital role to play.

Reduction of crime through community involvement, reduction of fear of crime, solicitation of information from the public, involvement of community in Police functions on one hand and improvement of Police image on the other hand are some of the key factors that requires to be listed and given serious consideration and put into action.

Rising crime

The Police needs the public in their role as a supportive body. The public has frequently taken the position not wanting to get involved and then point the finger of blame at the Police for rising crime, vice and other nefarious activities. This not to say that the Police can simply point the finger of blame back at the public. What it means is that the responsibility of an efficient Police Force is two-way. It needs public support and active participation to deter offenders working against society.

Public support, community-wide interest and individual participation, therefore must be enlisted. In other words the information that allows the Police to exert formal control must be supported by the people.

They must be the ones who are the major reporters of crime, witnesses of crime and accusers of wrong doers - they are the information sources for Police to act swiftly for the benefit of the community at large.

Today, the Police has reached the rare milestone of 145th years of its existence with a proud history and many significant achievements. It is timely and most appropriate on the day of the 145th anniversary, on behalf of Police Force to let me invite all citizens to join hands in preserving law and order to build a safer Sri Lanka to all and for the future generations to come.