THE DEPTHS TO WHICH THE POLICE HAVE DEGENERATED

sandman

ARTICLE FROM THE LETTERS COLUMN OF THE SUNDAY LEADER :

The depths to which the police has degenerated

Recently a police big shot had a public meeting and on that occasion he emphasised that the police force had not gone to the dogs, but that dogs had come into the police force. Whichever way one may take it, his statement is correct.

I would like to relate some past incidents concerning these law enforcement officers to refresh the minds of the general public.

I walked into the police station in my area and spoke to a police officer who was recording a statement about a theft. He could not understand me as I spoke to him in English. So he directed me to the OIC. While I was talking to the OIC a lady came in a car and before the lady could tops the OIC he vanished through the side door and I was left in his room unattended.

Later the particular PC came to me and told me that the OIC avoided the lady, as he owed her house rent and wanted me to come some other time to sort out my problem.

He then told the lady that the OIC had gone to meet the SP and that he might get late to come back. So the lady went away muttering something. I heard the PC telling the others mahattaya hitiyanam tie aken allala thamai gahanne. (If the OIC was there the lady would have caught him by the tie and hammered him.)

Once my daughter’s gold chain was snatched from her neck and we lodged a complaint at the police station. The PC showed us photographs of some chain snatchers that were at the police station, and my daughter was able to identify the rogue. Then the PC said that, that particular man was living in four different places and had three ‘keeps.’ He said he would anyway go and tell the three women to ask the man to come to the police station to make a statement. These two incidents occurred about six or seven years ago.

Once a new OIC came in charge of our police station, and he wanted to develop police-public relations in the area. A meeting was called and I too had to go for the meeting. A head master of a Sinhala school who had also come for this meeting stood up and said that he had a problem with the children of his school. Everyone was listening to the teacher’s complaint eagerly.

The head master said there were two poor families in that area and the children from these families did not like to attend school as the other children cast remarks on the poor children. The reason was that the parents of these children were dealing in drugs — kassipu and kudu.

The OIC came out with an immediate solution. He said "catch the people and send them to jail." An old gentlemen got up and asked, "when the parents are sent to jail who will look after the two children — who will feed them?" The OIC was dumbfounded. After some thought he said that the matter must be referred to the Social Services and Education Departments. The matter ended there.

There were some trishaw drivers who were also present. The OIC asked them whether the parking space allocated was enough and the trishaw drivers said that the council had provided the parking spaces and there is no problem.

There was a young trishaw driver who said the police were a nuisance to them. He came out with an interesting story. He said, when the SP or ASP was to visit the police station on an inspection one of the constables rushed to the trishaw stand, took a trishaw and went to this particular drug dealer and ordered milk rice and oil cakes to be served to the SP or the ASP at the function.

Similarly the following day the policeman took a trishaw to bring the kiributh and kevun to the police station. He said the drug dealer provided the eatables free of charge ‘to get a good name’ and also carry on with his activities undisturbed.

The new OIC turned blue and left the meeting saying he had to attend another meeting, leaving a newly appointed graduate trainee to continue the meeting.

What a shame for the kakhi coat so called law enforcement officers!

A Victim

Kadawatha

I AM BRAINLESS, SO PLEASE EXCUSE ME !!!!!!