Focus On Civilian Policing
Basil Fernando
Within just a few days of the announcement of the new ministry, the Ministry of Law and Order,
a rather unusual level of interest has emerged, judging by the many
articles that have appeared in response to the government’s move. Though
such quick responses are unusual, they are not surprising. If anyone is
asked to point out some of the most pressing issues of public
importance, the issue of the civilian police would emerge, without
doubt. In fact, for several years, this issue has been addressed on an
almost daily basis in all media, in all languages.
Therefore, it is worth trying to trace, by way of a brief history, how the issue of civilian policing acquired such importance.
Since the British established a policing system in Sri Lanka, some 147
years back, the idea of establishing a civilian policing system, which
would be in charge of the law enforcement in Sri Lanka, gradually became
quite a consolidated part of the building of the state in Sri Lanka.
The critical point at which the idea of civilian policing came to be
challenged is in the aftermath of the 1971 JVP ‘insurrection’.
Suddenly, the police, together with the military, was pushed into the
executing the idea of ‘exterminating insurgents’. The idea of
extermination was in direct contradiction with the ideas of the
administration of justice and enforcement of law in the normal sense,
anywhere in the world.
Looking back, it is easy to identify the elements of such extermination, as compared with normal law enforcement functions.
Those elements are: Read More
