Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala on Monday authorised the Special Task Force (STF) and the Colombo Police Division to conduct raids across Sri Lanka’s police divisional boundaries when local officers fail to act on intelligence.
“If the OIC in charge of a particular area has failed to act despite getting information, then we have permitted the STF and, in some instances, the Colombo Police Division, to conduct raids in other Police Divisions,” Wijepala said. He added that the police are “now allowed to conduct raids in any Police Division at any time,” effectively removing traditional geographic limitations on enforcement operations.
Sri Lanka’s policing structure normally restricts divisional units to their own territory, with cross-divisional operations requiring separate coordination through headquarters. The new directive is intended to close gaps where officers with operational intelligence are unable or unwilling to proceed locally.
The minister did not cite specific statutory authority for the expanded powers, suggesting the change has been implemented administratively rather than through gazette or fresh legislation. The move is likely to raise questions over supervisory oversight and the chain of command when elite units operate in other areas.
The announcement comes as the Public Security Ministry intensifies enforcement operations ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 13–14. Police and the Consumer Affairs Authority have already stepped up fuel hoarding arrests and price-control raids against retailers accused of exploiting shortages during the festive season.
Wijepala’s directive signals that the government sees existing divisional structures as a bottleneck to quick-response policing, particularly during a period when fuel, food, and essentials enforcement is running in parallel.
