The Cost of Maintaining an Officer decorated with Medals - EDITORIAL

A long wait by the people to know who would be their next Inspector General of Police (IGP) came to an end when the Executive appointed Deshabandu Tennakoon as the Acting IGP on November 29 (Wednesday).   
People are eager to know about appointments within the police department compared to other security establishments because men in khaki uniform have to mingle with the people when dispensing their duties. This is not so with regard to officials serving the defence establishments.   

Acting IGP Tennakoon has already spelt out his plans using media outlets and has said that his focus primarily would be on the country’s security. He says he also has plans to root out organised crimes and extortion activities. Wiping out drugs is also on the agenda of this newly appointed Acting IGP. His appointment has been met with mixed reactions. Now this last point stressed in this column needs to be pondered upon.   

Unlike a decade or so ago we are now living during times when men in khaki are followed and exposed on social media as much as thieves and criminals. We saw how policemen came under heavy criticism when the Aragalaya ‘stage’ was wiped out and protesters were beaten up. This is because there were enough visuals shown on television during these times on how the police personnel on duty watched passively or did nothing to protect civilians who came under attack by hired thugs and unidentified hit men. Tennakoon was a not a popular figure during the Aragalaya (protest); that’s for sure.   

What the new Police chief needs to live with is the fact that a policeman is the government servant who is perhaps the most influenced by lawmakers. Would it be a utopian dream for him to demand from the Executive or any other lawmaker wielding clout to allow him do his job sans political interference? The answer is a big ‘yes’. But Tennakoon has told media men soon after his appointment that he has never in his career as a law enforcement official been influenced by political motives.   

Tennakoon was more in the news than his predecessor C.D Wickremaratne for questionable reasons. There are reports that Wickremaratne initiated programmes to restructure the police force and amend the number of territorial police divisions, functional police divisions and the number of the police force to 107,000. But good work done in this country seldom gets highlighted. Wickremeratne can leave the police with a conscience that tells him that he survived in the police while suffering the least damages.   

Sri Lanka Police is not an easy institute to work at and we all know that. When the Supreme Court ordered several individuals in January this year to pay compensation to victims of the Easter bombings there were at least two high ranked police officers, a former IGP and a former President among them. The court found fault with these individuals for failing to protect the victims despite having credible information about such a possible attack. This is enough indication what a high-pressure atmosphere one has to work in if an individual chooses serving in the police as a career.   

We also know that during a crisis, police personnel have to sacrifice time spent with their families. This is because challenging situations often demand they work sans a break for days, weeks and sometimes months without getting to visit home. We have records of a policeman who was released from a prison maintained by tiger rebels during the civil war in the year 2006. A front page picture of the released teary-eyed police officer returning to his family underscores that inside the khaki uniform there can be a loving father, a husband, a sensitive lover an incredible human being.   

The maintenance factor of a policeman decorated with badges must not be calculated with rupees and cents, but in the difficulties he faces to maintain his integrity and personality.   
Deshabandu Tennakoon has been kicked ‘upstairs’. It would be a challenge for him to maintain a cool head and enjoy working in his new position. All law abiding citizens of this nation wish him well!