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| Sunday, 4 August 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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CDB back 'on stage' to combat rising tide of crime by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE The Crime Detective Bureau (CDB) will be back 'on stage' to combat the rising tide of crime in the country. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Colombo, Bodhi Liyanage told the Sunday Observer that the Police Department has earmarked a building at Dematagoda to relocate the CDB. The CDB was dismantled during the PA regime for reasons best known to the decision-makers at that time. The CDB Headquarters will be headed by SP Gamini Seneviratne with two ASPs, an OIC and 40 Policemen, who will investigate into special crime cases referred to them, by the DIG (Colombo). However, the functions of crime branches at Police station will remain under the supervision of the respective OIC of the stations. According to sources, the previous regime decided to close down the Crime Detective Bureau due to a PA politician's alleged involvement in a gun-running racket. The CDB investigating into the case had recovered several unauthorised firearms linked to the politician concerned. Following the closure of the CDB, three Divisional Crime Detective Bureaux were set up in Colombo. The Police Department, however, justified the closure due to insufficient number of cases being solved by the CDB headquarters. The Crime Detective Bureau (CDB) was set up in April 1972 at Gregory's Road in Colombo 7, and was opened by the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Several outstanding directors in the calibre of DIGs R. Sunderalingam, Tyrell Gunatilleke, Hyde Silva, I.T. Canageratnam and Lionel Gunatilleke headed the Bureau, succeeding each other. Crime investigation handled by the CDB reached a peak during 1992-1994 period when LTTE assassinated several politicians and launched a ruthless bombing campaign in the City of Colombo where several buildings were damaged. During this period several suicide jackets and large quantities of high explosives used by the LTTE to assassinate politicians were recovered from several places in Colombo by the CDB sleuths. Prior to 1972, crime investigation was handled by Crime OICs of Police Stations. They functioned under the supervision of the ASPs in charge of respective Colombo districts. The Divisional Crime Detective Bureaux (CDB) were set in 1972 at all Police divisions to bring uniformity in prevention and detection of crime. However, the Divisional Crime Detective Bureaux was scrapped when the Colombo Detective Bureau Headquarters (CDB) and Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau (CFIB) were set up to investigate crimes separately. During this period, crime investigations ceased to be the responsibility of OICs of Colombo Police stations. The CDB Colombo also ceased to investigate terrorists crimes, when the Terrorists Investigation Division was set up in 1999. |
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