Colombo, Aug. 6 (Daily Mirror) - President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to expedite the modernisation and development of the Sri Lanka Police to ensure the delivery of more efficient and quality services to the public.
Emphasising the need for active participation from all stakeholders in the Government’s “A Nation United” (“Ratama Ekata”) national operation launched to eradicate the drug menace, the President highlighted the importance of improving facilities at rehabilitation centres and bringing all rehabilitation institutions under a unified national programme without delay.
The President issued these directives while participating in a progress review of projects implemented by the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs in 2026, along with a pre-budget discussion for 2027, held today (06) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The progress of projects implemented under the 2026 Budget allocations by the Ministry of Public Security, Sri Lanka Police, Special Task Force, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, Bureau of Rehabilitation, National Police Academy, Department of Immigration and Emigration, Department of Civil Security and the Parliamentary Affairs Division was reviewed extensively.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of programmes implemented under the Rs. 1000 million capital allocation provided for the Government’s “A Nation United” national operation aimed at eliminating the drug menace.
Accordingly, discussions focused on the progress of several key initiatives, including the programme implemented by the Police Narcotics Bureau with an allocation of Rs. 417.48 million to strengthen facilities required for identifying drug-related activities and drug users, as well as conducting drug raids, the project to develop the Kallady Police Training Centre into a rehabilitation centre with an allocation of Rs. 13.54 million; and the programme implemented by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board with an allocation of Rs. 288.15 million to raise public awareness and provide facilities required for the rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons.
The meeting also reviewed the public awareness and rehabilitation programmes implemented by the Bureau of Rehabilitation, as well as the initiatives of the Special Task Force to strengthen intelligence gathering on drug trafficking and enhance facilities required for operations against drug-related activities.
Attention was also drawn to the need for constructing permanent buildings for police stations, as the Government currently incurs significant annual expenditure on rented premises and other buildings used by police stations among the 608 police stations operating across the island.
The purchase of new vehicles for the Sri Lanka Police was also discussed, considering that a considerable number of existing police vehicles are over 20 years old, resulting in increased maintenance costs.
Progress on the proposed construction of the new Police Headquarters building, development of infrastructure facilities at the Police Hospital, and construction of the proposed Mirihana Police Sports Complex under police welfare allocations were also reviewed. It was noted that construction work currently underway at the Weligama and Mullaitivu Police Stations is expected to be completed and opened within the next few months.
The meeting also focused on the Sri Lanka Police digitalisation programme, modernisation of police uniforms and measures to address health-related issues arising from the demanding duties of police officers. The President’s attention was drawn to proposals submitted by the National Police Academy to prevent the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases among police personnel.
The progress of awareness programmes conducted in schools and other State institutions was also reviewed. It was noted that steps are currently being taken to establish a pool of resource officers to support these initiatives.
It was further revealed that a three-month family counselling programme is being conducted for individuals who voluntarily seek rehabilitation before they enter rehabilitation programmes. The success of this initiative has contributed to an increase in the number of drug-dependent persons voluntarily seeking rehabilitation in recent months.
Special attention was also given to the activities of the Department of Civil Security. Discussions focused on challenges faced in integrating its members, who are deployed across different parts of the country, into national programmes. The President instructed officials to prepare and submit a project proposal addressing these concerns.
The meeting also noted that discussions have commenced on establishing a formal, integrated rehabilitation process covering the entire country, instead of separate rehabilitation programmes currently operated independently by institutions such as the Department of Social Services, Sri Lanka Police, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health. The President instructed officials to expedite this process.
Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Sunil Watagala, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ravi Seneviratne, Inspector General of Police Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya, and officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs were present.
PunkaLatha Thursday, 06 August 2026 04:02 PM
Our police service should have two distinct branches: one for community policing and the other for criminal investigations. Officers in community policing should be RETRAINED by reputable and recognized PR trainers or institutions, as police often see the public through a single lens - as criminals.
Ralcom Manjith Friday, 07 August 2026 02:55 AM
Gudaya Gandaspila Friday, 07 August 2026 06:30 AM
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