Sri Lanka is commemorating the 160th Police Day on Thursday, with ceremonies at the Field Force Headquarters in Thimbirigasyaya under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, NewsFirst reported.
The Sri Lanka Police Service was established on 3 September 1866, and has carried out its mandate to safeguard law and order for 160 years. Protecting life and property, preventing crime, investigating criminal activity and maintaining public order are among the responsibilities entrusted to it.
Officers who died in the line of duty, and those who served the public through the difficulties of the service’s history, are being commemorated as part of the day’s proceedings.
A commemoration at a difficult moment for the service
The anniversary falls in a period of sustained scrutiny of policing. The Criminal Investigation Department received a new director on 1 September.
It also comes as the force’s use of firearms draws attention: officers of the Kompannavidiya division opened fire on a three-wheeler in Borella on Thursday morning, arresting five men found with swords. Separately, police have this week pursued organised-crime investigations including the arrest of a suspect accused of supplying motorcycles to underworld groups.
Police statistics released on 31 August put drug arrests at 531,116 since the government took office.
Not reported
NewsFirst’s account did not carry remarks by the President or the Inspector General of Police, name the officers or units honoured, or say whether promotions or awards were announced at the ceremony. No other verified newsroom had filed on the commemoration at the time of writing, though Daily Mirror carried a separate opinion piece marking the anniversary.
