Lawlessness on the rise in SL: ex-DIG

Sri Lanka’s economic collapse has given a renewed life to narcotics trade, and the police are finding it difficult to check the situation as they have to keep controlling restive crowds.
The police no longer have the adequate resources to deal with organised crime, which has led to a spurt in gang related violence in recent months, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Priyantha Jayakody said in remarks published on Friday.
He said that whenever there was an economic crisis, the crime rates went up, The Island newspaper quoted him as saying.
“This is natural. However, the problem is that the police are now entrusted with many duties unlike in the past,” he said.
Jayakody said police stations across the country were now expected to deploy personnel to protect state- and privately-owned institutions. They are involved in controlling protests which, he insisted, had become the order of the day.
“They also have to assist in the distribution of fuel and gas and solve many issues that arise in fuel and gas queues. Police stations from the periphery too must send in personnel to Colombo for protest control.
“Therefore, the police don’t have time to stop gangs. These gangs make money by selling drugs and there is an increasing demand for drugs.
“These groups are now fighting to get a bigger share of the drug business. They are also killing police informants. This is a dangerous development and the police must immediately take steps to curb organised crime,” he said.