New regulations come into force:

Uniforms-a must for VIP Police

Sarath Malalasekera and Sandasen Marasinghe

*Moves to identify weapon bearers

*Only authorized weapons allowed

Police officers assigned for VIP security should be in their uniforms while on such duty, said Police Spokesperson SSP Maxi Proctor. This regulation which comes into immediate effect, will be strictly enforced. He told the Daily News that all Police officers engaged in VIP security and attached to the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) and Police stations have to be in their uniforms.

He said they have to wear their uniforms while carrying weapons authorized to be carried by them.

He also said until yesterday the police officers who were employed in VIP security from the MSD were allowed to function in civil attire and carry their authorized weapons.

He added that they could not do so any more.

SSP Proctor further said this move was taken to make it easier to identify the weapon bearers in VIP security.

It also makes it easy to identify if the weapons bearer was authorized to do so. He added that otherwise it would be difficult to identify even if an unauthorized person carried a weapon and created chaos.

Meanwhile the Criminal Investigation Department conducting investigations into the killing of former MP Baratha Lakshman Premachandra had questioned several security officers who had been on duty on the day of the elections at the Mulleriyawa junction, where the shooting incident took place.

Four persons including a policeman were killed during the shoot-out. UPFA MP Duminda Silva who was also injured during the shooting is warded at the Intensive Care Unit at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital with several injuries to his head.

The CID who recovered several weapons which had been used during the shooting will submit a report to court to forward the recovered weapons to the Government Analyst for a report.