The threat to the public by persons using the services of private security guards for their own protection was brought to the attention of Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security. According to a Parliament statement, this was discussed when the said committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of MP Sarath Weerasekera.
The members of the committee pointed out that the public is facing some oppressive situations due to some people who are escorted by private security guards. Senior Police officers who attended the meeting revealed that legally the Police cannot intervene in the personal security of a person. However, the committee pointed out that since the personnel of those private security services use weapons, certain regulation is necessary. The Committee decided to inform the Ministry of Defense to prepare criteria for regulating private security services.
A lengthy discussion was also held on the growth of underworld activities. It was also revealed that certain persons in the service of the armed forces show an increase in resorting to committing crimes. The Inspector General of Police pointed out that there is some weakness in the identification of criminals. The IGP further commented that if there are competent OICs to identify criminals in their areas, crimes can be prevented before they happen and therefore attention has been paid to identifying competent police OICs and sending them to the respective areas for service.
Drug control was also discussed at length, during which the police officials pointed out that the drug traffickers are working to make the school children addicted to drugs by giving them pills. They further suggested that the first thing that should be done in drug control is to prevent those drugs from entering the country. The committee also discussed the need for strict enforcement of laws such as the confiscation of property of drug traffickers.
Pointing out that the country loses a large number of lives due to road accidents, the committee chairman recalled that 29,000 war heroes died in the 30-year war in Sri Lanka, and 27,000 people died in road accidents in the last 10 years alone. Accordingly, the Chairman instructed to purchase the necessary equipment as soon as possible to identify the drivers, who drive under the influence of drugs and provide them to the police stations all over the island.
It was pointed out that there has been an increase in robberies and most of them are due to the carelessness of people. The police pointed out that it is very important for people to pay more attention to their houses, buildings and other properties.
Members of Parliament Rauf Hakeem, Chandima Weerakkodi, (Prof.) Channa Jayasumana, Charles Nirmalanathan, (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, and (Major) Sudarshan Denipitiya as well as the officials including the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and the Inspector General of Police were present.
