Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said he has received multiple complaints from the public about delays in responding to calls made to the 119 police emergency hotline, with one complainant alleging no action was taken even three hours after reporting an incident.
The Minister said he personally contacted the 118 National Help Desk hotline to verify the system’s performance after advising the complainant to formally report the delay through that channel.
Wijepala said such complaints reach him daily. According to the Minister, the 119 hotline receives between 4,000 and 4,500 calls each day.
While acknowledging ongoing criticism of police response times, the Minister said the positive contributions of the Sri Lanka Police have also been recognised. He added that efforts are underway to build a more efficient and responsive system to better serve the public.
The complaints come during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holiday period, when increased travel and celebrations typically place greater demand on emergency services.
