'Govt should take drastic measures to bring crime rate down'

Ananda Kannangara

When the Sunday Observer last week sought the views of the public on how to get rid of crime. They blamed the authorities for not taking proper action to overcome the menace. Here the excerpts of the interview.

An Assistant Manager of the Buddhist Cultural Centre in Colombo Ms. Niroshi Weerasinghe urged the Police to take measures to reduce the crime rate. She said the lawbreakers must be dealt with by subjecting them to heavy punishments.

"I think the death penalty should be imposed on hardcore criminals and others must be sentenced to life imprisonment. It is the best solution to overcome the situation," she said.

A private sector employee S.A. Weerasena said the Government has no alternative other than imposing the death penalty to minimise the crimes.

"I think the death penalty should be imposed on murderers, kidnappers, rapists, drug traffickers and burglars,"

A retired schoolteacher Ubayasiri Ranawaka of Haputale said that not only criminals such as murderers or kidnappers, in a certain western democratic country where he had been employed for more than a decade, even medical practitioners who engage in protest campaigns were categorised as criminals.

"I remember two of them were imprisoned for not attending to their routine work at hospital as the health service was declared an essential service,".

"This is a good example for our country to follow so that the Government doctors or schoolteachers will never take part in demonstration campaigns, as their services are essential."

A retired Parliamentarian from the Southern Province who wished to remain anonymous said during his tenure there were agitations in Parliament over the escalating crime rate and the need of re-imposing the death penalty.

"As you are aware if the death penalty is re-imposed many of our henchmen too will be sent to gallows; therefore, the best thing the public could do is to be silent over this matter as I am confident that it would never be imposed even by the present Parliament,".

He said even during his tenure in Parliament, a proposal was made to the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga, but the matter was not even debated in Parliament.

A schoolboy Geethal Jayaratne said the crime rate cannot be brought down unless a culprit such as a murderer, kidnapper or a drug trafficker is hanged.

"I feel all other law breakers such as rapists and hardcore robbers must be sentenced to life imprisonment without granting them any Presidential pardon".

A doctor attached to a hospital in Homagama said: "We are aware that at least 75 per cent of the politicians in Parliament and Provincial Councils are corrupt today, they are not only engaging in illegal activities, but also harbouring their corrupt henchmen,".

He said most criminals and underworld gangs in the country make their operations without any fear under the cover of these politicians.

He therefore requested the President, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice to urge politicians not to allow their men to engage in unlawful activities. A businessman Kapila Gunaratna of Kadawata blamed certain politicians for their indirect involvement in certain cases.

"I think 60 per cent of the criminals are engaged in their activities under the cover of politicians in the area.

A lawyer in Hulftsdorp who wished to remain anonymous said that in certain incidents officials in the judiciary are influenced by politicians.

"This situation will help criminals to get involved in various unlawful activities and therefore I request politicians to stop interfering on judiciary,".

A grocery shop owner Kumarasiri Peris of Horana said the Government should hold a referendum on re-introducing the death penalty, so that people will not blame the Government or the President,".

Schoolboy M.T.C. Perera said criminals cannot be rehabilitated although they were sent to jail even for 20 years.

"Therefore all criminals must be hanged or give a life long imprisonment considering the gravity of the crime.

A social worker Nirmala Satharasinghe asked the Government to hang at least a few dangerous criminals who are now in prisons, so that others will learn a good lesson.

Attorney-at-Law, Punyakanthi Wikremesekara of Nittambuwa said

"I remember when Justice Sarath Ambepitiya was gunned down opposite his official residence in Colombo, all people including parliamentarians were shocked and panicked.

"Then the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga made an announcement that the death penalty would be imposed again and this mere announcement largely helped to drop the crime rate in the country drastically,".

Mohamad Niyaz of Mattakkuliya said he was in Saudi Arabia for six years and only a few criminal cases were reported during that period as the death penalty was in force.

A Police officer who did not want to disclose his name said: "If anybody says that the police are silent over killings and not taking any action to bring down the crime rate it is an utter lie,".

He said during the past a number of criminals were dealt with.

A Bank Manager of Kotte who wished to remain anonymous asked the Government not to get scared of human rights organisations and impose the death penalty to bring the crime rate down.