|
Sri Lanka NATIONAL POLICE AND PARAMILITARY FORCES
The Sri Lankan National Police is an integral part of the
nation's security forces, with primary responsibility for
internal security. Specially trained commando units of the police
are regularly deployed in joint operations with the armed forces,
and the police command structure in Northern and Eastern
provinces is closely integrated with the other security
organizations under the authority of the Joint Operations
Command. The police is headed by an inspector general of police
who reports to the minister of defense.
Organization
In 1988 the police force was divided into three geographic
commands--known as ranges--covering the northern, central, and
southern sectors of the island. The ranges were subdivided into
divisions, districts, and stations, and Colombo was designated as
a special division. In 1974 there were a total of 260 police
stations throughout the country. In more remote rural areas
beyond the immediate range of existing police stations, law
enforcement functions are carried out by locally elected village
headmen (grama seva niladhari, literally "village service
officers"). In addition to its regular forces, the national
police operated a small reserve contingent and a number of
specialized units responsible for investigative and paramilitary
functions. Routine criminal activity was handled by the Criminal
Investigation Department under the command of an assistant
superintendent of police. More coordinated threats to internal
security, such as that posed by the radical Sinhalese Janatha
Vimukthi Peramuna were the responsibility of the
Countersubversive Division, which was primarily an investigative
division. Special operational units included the Commando Squad
of the Colombo police and the Special Task Force. The former, a
200-strong riot control force, was established following the
anti-Tamil riots of 1983. The Special Task Force is a police
field force. It was set up in 1984 with the assistance of foreign
advisers (primarily former British Special Air Service personnel
under the auspices of Keeny Meeny Services, see
Sri Lanka - Foreign Military Relations
, this ch.).
Its 1,100-member force was organized into 7
companies and trained in counterinsurgency techniques. It played
a major role in the government's combined force operations
against the Tamil Tigers in Eastern Province before July 1987.
Following the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, the Special
Task Force was redesignated the Police Special Force, and
deployed in Southern Province, where it immediately went into
action against the JVP terrorists. Companies of the force also
served in rotation as part of the presidential security guard.
Until 1984 the police were responsible for national
intelligence functions, first under the Special Branch, and later
under the Intelligence Services Division. The perceived failure
of the Intelligence Services Division during the riots of July
1983 led the Jayewardene government to reevaluate the nation's
intelligence network, and in 1984 the president set up a National
Intelligence Bureau. The new organization combined intelligence
units from the army, navy, air force, and police. It was headed
by a deputy inspector general of police who reported directly to
the Ministry of Defence.
Data as of October 1988
|
