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by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) will never be used as a tool by the present government to fulfil its own political agenda at any cost, Interior Minister, John Amaratunga said at a media conference held at the Special Task Force (STF) headquarters in Colombo last week.

The Minister was replying to a question posed by the media whether the interior ministry was on a witch hunt to hound its political opponents by using the CID.

The CID personnel was performing an enormous task to unearth several heinous crimes committed during the last regime, he said.

Asked whether the Presidential Security Division (PSD) will be revamped in due course, the Minister said the numbers of security officers at the PSD will not be reduced as the government was bound to provide adequate security to the President. However the government will take measures to ensure that PSD officers will not be allowed to engage in criminal activity in future. The police have been further instructed to keep a tab on unlawful weapons in the hands of service deserters who were responsible for several robberies, he said.

Asked whether some high officials in the Presidential Security Division had amassed wealth by illegal means, the minister said all such allegations will be referred to the Bribery Commissioners Department for investigations.

He said a special advisory committee chaired by a Presidential Counsel and consisting of former IGPs and DIGS and others would be set up soon to help the police department. The Minister also paid a tribute to the Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF) and his officers for their work.

The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) A. E. Anandarajah said there was a total reduction of crimes committed in the country in year 2001 when compared to year 1980. The crimes committed in Colombo during the same period had dropped drastically. The police was in control of serious crimes committed in the country.

The police even foiled a robbery where an army deserter who attempted to rob cash Rs. 6.5 million at Yatiyantota was later shot dead at Wadduwa police area. The deserter had shot dead a Reserve Police Constable at Yatiyantota while trying to rob the money, he said.

With the disbanding of platoons in the North and East more policemen will be utilised for prevention of crime and investigation, he said.

DIG Colombo, Bodhi Liyanage said that several street vigilance committees have been set up in the metropolis with the co-operation of the public to fight crime in the city. Around 2000 police patrol hand books have been placed at strategic points in the city. Asked whether it is mandatory to register Tamil citizens who arrived in Colombo city he said such schemes have been done away with.

Others who participated at the conference were DIGs, Gamini Randeni, Sirisena Herath, STF Commandant Nima Gunatileka, Gerad Ignatius and DIG, Pathmasiri Liyanage.

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