Police chief’s crime theory off the target

Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera is in the eye of a political cyclone with President Maithripala Sirisena wanting him to quit and sections of his coalition partner in the UNP administration wanting him to stay put.

The President is disappointed over the rise in the crime rate. Some UNP ministers, much the same way they claim Sri Lanka’s economy is the best in Asia, insist that crime is under control.

IGP Jayasundera, who meets his senior DIGs periodically at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute ( SLFI) auditorium had his own explanation.

The Police Chief says that while the rate of crime is less, the brutal nature of some crimes makes them more visible. He says that when two murders happen in close proximity to one another, the news goes out through various media “and gets amplified.”

Coming from the man who leads Sri Lanka’s Police Department, it is laughable, indeed. In the years past, crimes were committed mostly with iron rods, kris knives and shot guns. Even the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna ( JVP) used locally turned out crude Gal Katas which fired shot gun cartridges.

Now, however, criminals use sophisticated weapons, largely leaked from the three-decade- long separatist war. There are automatic pistols, assault rifles, grenades and even sub machine guns. That has not only sophisticated the crimes but has also increased incidents. Police detection of such weapons has been rare.

Yet, the Police Chief says new preventive programmes are being launched in villages. He says there will be a more visible presence of Police in villages as well as towns. Plans are also afoot to send out Police teams in bicycles. These, indeed, have been done before.

Taking part in the conference were senior DIGs, including those from the Narcotics Division, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Special Task Force (STF).