(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Police Service has achieved a great degree of development and progress today and this has enabled it to control crime to a great extent.
“Incidence of crime has reduced by leaps and bounds although this factor did not gain much media publicity. Similarly, the tendency for resolving crime has also greatly improved. The police service is performing several duties to maintain law and order and I wish to thank the IGP and his subordinate officers for this,” the Premier said addressing a meeting after opening the new police station at Wanathavilluwa, Puttalam on September 29.
The Prime Minister said the government was providing facilities needed by the Police to maintain law and order. The opening of the Wanathaviluwa Police station could be described as one such exercise. The new building costing Rs. 60 million was built in one and a half years.
“If there was a deterioration of law and order, attention could not be paid to develop infrastructure,”he said.
“Proper maintenance of law and order had enabled them to pay attention towards the development of Police infrastructure,” the PM added.
He said they had created a separate Ministry to handle the Police Department because they did not want to bring it under the wing of the Defence Ministry. In 2015, they decided to resolve all problems confronting the Police service within five years.
Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara gave a detailed account of the services rendered towards the Police service during the last one and a half years. Similarly a great amount of work was accomplished under the tenure of Minister Sagala Ratnayaka. Ministers John Amaratunge and Tilak Marapana too had contributed towards resolving many problems in the Police service.
The Prime Minister said they were aware that some outstanding problems needed solutions. The onus was on the present Minister to resolve them.
“Although recruitments were made, the problem relating to promotions remained unresolved. The problem relating to political victimization was awaiting resolution. When problems heap up, it was their duty to resolve them systematically. Enactment of new laws and regulations relating to the police service was also being attended to by the Ministry,” the Premier said.
“While this is being done under Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara he had to pay attention towards the development of the Moneragala district which was a most undeveloped area,” the Prime Minister said.
He should be thanked for all this work. Similarly, State Minister Nalin Bandara was conducting an awareness campaign about the services rendered by the Police.
“State Minister Palitha Range Bandara was also working with dedication and self sacrifice to render service to the people in his area. Earlier Anamaduwa had been an undeveloped area. State Minister Range Bandara was striving hard to bring the northern part of the Puttalam district on par with its Southern part through development and progress.
Parliamentarian Hector Appuhamy was working in co-operation with people of all communities and religions to develop his electorate through tourism and infrastructure development,” the Prime Minister said.
The Premier said Hector Appuhamy had been pressing him to obtain funds needed for development work.
“The government had accelerated development by introducing the Gamperaliya and Enterprise Sri Lanka programmes. Local Government members too had been provided with funds for development in addition to the decentralised Budget funds. The Highways Ministry too had been given funds to build road networks. All this was being done to develop the rural economy,” the Prime Minister added.
“Although the government was steering through a difficult period caused by the world economic crisis, it would never allow the rural economy to crash,” the Premier stressed.
