Police braces to face protesters

21 January 2014 03:37 pm Views - 5093

The Government has purchased ten water cannon Ashok Leyland trucks for riot control under the Indian Credit Line worth millions of rupees, the Daily Mirror learns.

One truck is believed to cost between Rs.5 million and Rs.6 million. The water cannon/tear gas trucks will be distributed to six key police divisions.

Five of the trucks will be given to the Police Field Force Headquarters in Bambalapitiya, one each to the Ratnapura Police Division, Matara Police Division, Batticaloa Police Division, Anuradhapura Police Division and the Kandy Police Division.

At present the police inventory consists of five such trucks -- four Ashok Leyland water cannon trucks purchased in 2005 and a Mercedes Benz truck purchased in the early 1990’s.

In the recent past the Government has used the Indian Credit Line to purchase vehicles ranging from motorbikes, cars, jeeps, ambulances, troop carriers, bowsers and buses for the Police Department so as to upgrade the existing fleet of vehicles which have not been replaced in more than a decade.(Supun Dias)