Sri Lanka Police - Organization

Organization

The Sri Lanka Police is headed by the Inspector General of Police, who has in theory autonomy to commanding the service from the Police Headquarters, Colombo and support by the Police Field Force Headquarters, Colombo. However for in the resent past the Police Service has come under the purview of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with exception of a several years when it came under the Ministry of Internal Affairs but was transferred to the MoD. In the last few years there has been calls to reestablish the independent National Police Commission to oversee transfers and promotions, thereby making the service autonomous and free from any influence.

The police service is organized in to five primary geographic commands, known as ranges (Range I, II, III, IV, V), covering the northern, western, eastern and southern sectors of the island under the command of a Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG). The ranges were subdivided into divisions, districts, and police stations, Colombo was designated as a special range. Each police division headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) covers a single province and a police district headed by a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) covers a single district of the country. In 1974 there were a total of 260 police stations throughout the country and as of 2007 there are more than 2,000.

With the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War the strength and the number of stations have increased. Since 1971 the police service has suffered large number of casualties, with officers and constables killed and wounded as a result of terrorist and insurgents. In more remote rural areas beyond the immediate range of existing police stations, enforcement of simple crimes are carried out by the Grama Seva Niladhari (village service officers), but this has now become rare with most villages covered by newer by police stations.

In addition to its regular forces, the police service operated a reserve contingent until 2007 when the Reserve Police Force was disbanded and its personnel transferred to the regular police force. The police service has a number of specialized units responsible for investigative, protective, counter-terrorism and paramilitary functions.

Investigation of organized criminal activity and detective work are handled by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) under the command of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). More coordinated threats to internal security, such as that posed by the radical Sinhalese JVP in 1980's were the responsibility of the Counter Subversive Division, which was primarily an investigative division, it has since been replaced by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID). The TID carries out counter-terrorism investigations and threats to internal security from the LTTE.

Protective security units which are entrusted the security includes the Ministerial Security Division (elected public figures), Diplomatic Security Division (foreign diplomats) and Judicial Security Division (Judges). President's Security Division and the Prime Minister's Security Division functions independently but consists of mostly police personnel.

Other specialized units includes the Information Technology Division, the Mounted Division, the Anti-riot Squad, Traffic Police, K9 units, the Marine Division, the Police Narcotic Bureau and the Children & Women Bureau. The police service also operates the Sri Lanka Police College of personnel training and the Police Hospital, Colombo.

Special Task Force

Special Task Force, is one of special operational units in the Police Service. The Special Task Force is a police paramilitary force. It was set up on March 1, 1983 with the assistance of foreign advisers (primarily former British Special Air Service personnel under the auspices of Keeny Meeny Services). 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 re designated 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.

Internal Intelligence

Until 1984 the police were responsible for national (local) intelligence functions, first under the Special Branch (est. 1966 as part of the CID), and later under the Intelligence Services Division. The perceived failure of the Intelligence Services Division during the riots of July 1983 led the J.R. Jayawardene 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.