Public Perceptions of Police in Sri Lanka
With some 84,000 officers and about 450 Police stations around the country the nature of the relationship with the public should be one of trust. There are two basic duties and responsibilities: crime and maintenance of order.
( February 11, 2017, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Who wants to be a Policeman? A Bobby in Britain is a treasured status, like a Constable in Ceylon some fifty odd years ago. Bereft of the criticism of “institutionalism,” the law enforcement authority is a respected profession.
What if any has changed perceptions in the intervening period in Sri Lanka? Two words, perhaps, could best summarise the difference – Police Conduct.
Several incidents of impunity, has posed the question whether the criminal law and the advancement or lack of justice has impinged on the conduct of the Police? We are used to high standards of conduct. These have perhaps been sacrificed at the altar of mediocrity and the real need to finance a war. We now need to bring back as a matter of priority, the attainment of our high standards. There are still many Constables, men and women in Sri Lanka who would sacrifice their lives and conduct for the Force, who go by what they signed up in the Police Code. There is camaraderie, which enjoins every Policeman on the beat and privilege of status.
The most important of all standards is Public Confidence. This is trust and is affected by the behaviour of the Police, with the public expecting the service to protect them by upholding the law and providing a professional police service.
Our Criminal Procedure Code and the Police Ordinance lays down the powers of the Police. Standards are not intended to describe every situation but rather to set a framework which everyone can easily understand. They do not restrict the discretion of the police, but they define the parameters of conduct within which that discretion should be exercised.
Nature of relationship between Police and Public
With some 84,000 officers and about 450 Police stations around the country the nature of the relationship with the public should be one of trust. There are two basic duties and responsibilities: crime and maintenance of order.
Over the years the burden on policing corruption has taken precedence. A variety of financial conduct investigation Departments have sprung up including PRECIFAC (Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into serious acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges) and FCID (Financial Corruption Investigations Dept.) among others.
Would it be any wonder that the Police services are under much strain with public pressure on delivery on time?
Strangely there is a different perception of the Prison Services in Sri Lanka, who seem to have won acclaim by their unscrupulous conduct. One politician on remand was heard to say:”If you respect people, they respect you, even if they are taking you into prison, not so with the FCID?”
We also hear the disenchantment at the slow investigative process in crime work, particularly corruption cases and bringing culprits to book. A culture of impunity has been entrenched and understandably not improved by either the quality of staff and/or numbers. Society perhaps, has put blame on the Police for the state of affairs the country is in? Shaking off this image is difficult. If a Police officer is to be respected by the Public, he/she has to be paid a commiserate salary to fit in with the role, skills and status. Let us recruit staff, even from abroad to do what we find difficult to do and learn their skills?
Some accepted Standards of Professional Conduct
Honesty and Integrity – act accordingly and not abuse their power.
Authority, Respect and Courtesy –treating the public with respect, tolerance and courtesy.
Equality and Diversity – act with fairness and impartiality, without discrimination,
Use of restraint– as is necessary, proportionate and reasonable in all circumstances.
Abide by the Force policies/procedures and give and carry out reasonable instructions.
Work diligently in the exercise of duty and responsibility.
Confidentiality – treat all information with respect and discreet in disclosure.
Fitness– fit to carry out all their duties.
Undermining public confidence – by discernible conduct not acceptable in the service.
Challenging or taking action if conduct has fallen below the required standards.
Authority without accountability
Over the years many shades of government have come and gone, With a civil war extending nearly thirty out of 69 years since independence, the role of the Police and the role of the Military Forces have in some instances been blurred in civil operations causing disquiet, requiring clarity. Besides, Police morale was also low due to continued attacks by the LTTE in border Police stations, around the country. With the changing role of the Armed Forces after the end of the war in 2009, a new command and control structure for Community Police service has we are told been instigated and is now in operation.
Need of the hour
It is no longer acceptable for the Police Force to be one among many professions. The Public now demands not standards but the highest standards of conduct for the Force in Sri Lanka. Officers of the Police have been sent abroad to upgrade their skills and particularly the Code of Behaviour. Further, we now have a Public Consultation on the dress sense – a change of the Police Uniform. The need of the hour is not only a change of Police Uniform but simultaneously project a different public image to upgrade the Code of Conduct.
Change in Policing practice
Change in policing practice in Sri Lanka will come about no doubt, with forces recruiting staff able to communicate in all three languages and commanding public support.
Change will come when policing standards are monitored and evaluated to the highest standard. A Uniform Standard across different parts of the country consolidated to make measurements of practice less problematic is long overdue. The past has also seen many instances where the protection of civilians was sidelined for security and military purpose. The Police cannot be faulted for this policy.
Community Policing could take precedence in Sri Lanka like what happened in the Metropolitan Police London, with the near elimination of “Stop and Search” operations at random over the past 6 years, a sea change in this policy has seen the crime figures have incrementally reduced.
However, an implausible logic is for the Government to ask the Police to follow high standards of conduct and simultaneously dictate what it should and should not do? The Police Force needs space to follow its highest code of conduct all over the country for the public to respect its integrity. We need to show our neighbouring countries that our Police Force is among the best in the world, and nothing less.
