Police performance now at zero

I worked in the Police Department many years ago and can say with authority that is has deteriorated to a shadow of what it once was. It concentrates today more on escorting politicians, their spouses and children or controlling or preventing peaceful public demonstrations when the country is in an economic crisis.

About 10.30 am last Sunday (Nov. 26) an intruder was found attempting to forcibly enter my neighbor’s house. Another neighbor alerted the occupants by telephone while they were in church. I asked them to alert Police Emergency by dialing 119. There was no response. I too tried without success. I then called Police Headquarters and was told we should contact Mirihana Police and that the Police Emergency Patrol car was very busy.

I called Mirihana Police to be told that someone from the household where the break-in was being attempted should make a complaint there for them to act. In desperation I had to use some influence through somebody known to me and lo and behold the Police got activated and arrived at the scene of crime. It took over 45 minutes for this to happen.

This is not the only incident I know of. My wife’s cousin living in Borella( Colombo 08) found his house being burgled. They had found an intruder but the Police Emergency arrived after two hours. Is this the “POLICE EMERGENCY?”

This headless Police department has reached the lowest levels in its history. It has been the practice in the years gone by that the Senior DIG Police is groomed to succeed the IGP. But what has happened to those practices and systems which prevailed? This is mainly because some IGPs we have had were mere puppets who had not acted with authority and asserted themselves mainly because they had skeletons in their cupboards. Some had ulterior motives of getting a diplomatic assignment on retirement. Let us hope and pray the most eligible will succeed the last IGP rather than a stooge whose mistakes are legion.

Nihal de Alwis