Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala on Sunday declared open a newly constructed Kopay Police Station in the Jaffna District and oversaw the return of land from the old police station site to its original owners.
Built at a cost of close to Rs. 40 million and completed in about a year, the new station is expected to expand the efficiency and quality of services provided to the public, Ada Derana reported. The ceremony also marked the symbolic return of the land that had been occupied by the former station building, with house keys handed to seven beneficiaries in recognition of their restored property rights.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Wijepala said ensuring the safety and security of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion, is a core responsibility of the government. He added that providing efficient, reliable and high-quality services remains a central duty of Sri Lanka Police.
Northern Province Governor N. Vedanayagam and Jaffna District Parliamentarian Karunanathan Ilankumaran also attended the event.
The land restitution element places the Kopay opening within the broader post-conflict accountability agenda the Public Security Minister has pursued in recent months, alongside LTTE-promotion bans paired with allowances for remembrance events, the Easter attacks 2017-conspiracy disclosures in Parliament and an earlier policy review of small police stations slated for closure or upgrade.
Update — June 15: IGP attendance and station scope
The Police Media Division said in a follow-up release on Monday that Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya also attended the opening, alongside Minister Wijepala. The Newswire report put the construction cost of the new facility at approximately Rs. 47 million — higher than the Rs. 40 million figure cited in Ada Derana’s same-day coverage — and confirmed that the station, originally established on January 6, 1966, has now been upgraded to a fully equipped new building. The Kopay police division covers 27 Grama Niladhari divisions across an area of 51 square kilometres and serves a population of around 64,500. The University of Jaffna and the Jaffna College of Education both fall within the station’s jurisdiction.
Sources: Ada Derana — Govt. committed to protecting all Sri Lankans, Minister affirms; Rs. 47 Million New Kopay Police Station Declared Open — Newswire, June 15.
