Strengthen police vigilance on child crime - Minister Karalliyadde
by L. S. Ananda Wedaarachchi
The strict police vigilance on child crime should be further
strengthened to curb its menace to society, said Child Development and
Women’s Empowerment Minister Tissa Karalliyadde.
In each police station a special police officer should be assigned to
attend to matters relating to child safety and other connected
activities. Priority should be given to implement an islandwide program
to prevent child crime rather than take action after the incident is
reported, he said.
Colombo University’s Senior Sociology lecturer Jagath Wellawatta said
while the narcotic crime rate had gone down last year, child crime is on
the increase. The community police which played a vital role in tracing
the LTTE activists specially in the outstations can be deployed to bring
to book the alleged child crime suspects, he said.
A National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) spokesman said that the
current laws against child crimes such as kidnapping and trafficking are
very strict. The law enforcement authorities should work more
efficiently to apprehend the suspects to be dealt with according to law,
he said.
He said that the negligence on the part of the parents is one of the
main reasons for the present predicament.
He said that incidents relating to child crime, child kidnapping and
disappearances should be complained without delay to the closest police
station or to NCPA through its hot line 1929.
A 15-year-old schoolgirl who was kidnapped and kept in secret places
forcibly during the last ten months by the kidnapper, a youngman from
the victim’s own village was arrested last week by the police.
Similar incidents are being reported very often. This growing threat
should be stopped soon, he said. |
