FMR IGP: SRILANKA NEED A PEOPLE FRIENDLY POLICE FORCE!!! REBUILD THE IMAGE TOO!!!

Fmr. IGPs new book stresses upholding values

By Yohan Perera
The need to rebuild the image of the police force, the importance of upholding Lankan values and the need to earn the respect of the public was stressed at the launch of Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. Frank De Silva’s book ‘ Police decision in Action’ at the Mahaweli Center yesterday.

Former Attorney General C. R. De Silva who made the key note address at the launch said a police officer should uphold our personal values and use them to achieve just results. ‘A policeman may be challenged on the pretext of his values such as integrity, dignity and tolerance and it is important to develop these values,” he said. He said sometimes police officers get embroiled in controversy because of their actions. “As a result of this process an officer often becomes a target for criticism,” he said. Mr. De Silva said police officers should not lose public trust as they stand to lose everything in such a situation.

The author of this book, Dr. Frank De Silva, said one must respect the police. He said in his book he had tried to teach police officers to learn and respect his duty in the police force. He recalled that there are instances in Sri Lanka and abroad where the police have been found wanting by the judiciary, even if they have acted to prevent an unfortunate situation. He said examples of this could be seen in some decisions of the Judiciary in Sri Lanka and also in the House of Lords in the UK.

Former Bishop of Colombo Rev Kenneth Fernando, who was a guest of honour, stressed the need to strengthen and build up the police force. He called for the police to be proud to be Sri Lankan and said the Sri Lankan model does not have to follow the West. “What we want is a people friendly police force,” he said.

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