The Government is taking steps to resolve long-standing issues in police promotions, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Thursday. He said that police officers have filed over 100 cases before the Supreme Court concerning various grievances related to promotions.
The Government is currently in discussions with the Attorney General’s Department to address these concerns as a priority. Minister Wijepala said that a Gazette notification will be issued next month to recruit 2,500 police officers immediately. This follows Cabinet approval for an urgent recruitment drive aimed at filling vacancies in the police service.
The number of new recruits has been determined based on the capacity of the country’s police training academies, he said. The Government is also streamlining police transfers and expanding medical cover for serving officers. Earlier, the Government announced plans to recruit 10,000 new police officers as part of a broader strategy to reduce the number of road accidents and strengthen anti-crime and anti-drug operations. In January, Police Spokesman SP K.B. Manathunga said that the current police force comprises around 75,000 personnel — insufficient to meet the demands of the Government’s new law enforcement initiatives.
