Police ensure safe season

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The campaign launched by the police, code-named Dusk Operation, to nab pickpockets and criminals who fleece innocent shoppers thronging the Colombo city during the festive season, has been a success with zero complaints being recorded at City police stations last week, a senior police officer told the Sunday Observer.

Three police teams with an OIC in charge have been deployed in strategic locations such as Borella, Maradana, Pettah, Bambalapitiya and in the vicinity of the Passport office where large crowds of people gather. The policemen operate in civvies from 4.00 pm to 10.30 pm to nab pickpockets prowling the city.

“We have apprehended 15 pickpockets from Maradana including some women pickpockets. Some of them were Island Reconvicted Criminals (IRC) whereas others were drug addicts who operate mostly inside crowded buses,” police said. The operation which commenced in mid-December under the supervision of ASP Jagath Weerakoon is expected to continue until mid-January. Last week police arrested 32 pickpockets in various places in the city. There had been Court warrants for their arrests, a senior police officer told the Sunday Observer. Last week a grandmother, her daughter and granddaughter were nabbed for shoplifting in Colombo. The family had come to Colombo all the way from Puttalam.

Two pickpockets were caught picking mobile phones from passengers inside buses.

The suspects were produced in Court and were remanded, police said. Experienced policemen who supervise criminals have been detailed for the job, police said.