We have regularly focused in these spaces on the steep rise in the number of killings and lukewarm response by the Police. Now Law and Order Minister Tiran Alles has ordered the Police to take proactive measures to arrest this alarming trend in the wake of the latest bout of killings.
There had been four shootings during the past 24 hours with three lives lost in locations in the Western and Southern Provinces which have been the most prolific in the killing sprees where, in 38 shootings so far this year 23 deaths had resulted. According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Talduwa almost all the killings were either drug related or had to do with underworld gang rivalry. At a meeting with Police top brass on Wednesday Minister Alles ordered IGP Chandana Wickremaratne to take the most extreme measures to stem the tide and that he would brook no interference from whatever quarter in his quest to put an end to the present killing spree.
He said he had the fullest backing of President Ranil Wickremesinghe in this regard. He set a July 31 deadline for all unlicensed firearms to be surrendered and that following this date Police and Intelligence units would be deployed to round up all unlicensed weapons. The Minister said Police operations are already in progress but they have to be increased to arrest the trend. He said the killing spree had been triggered by rivalry among criminal gangs. “Ordinary people are not getting killed. It is criminal gangs taking on their rivals”.
However, the whole question here is not about who is taking on whom but what is at the core is the law and order situation in the country. True, ordinary people are not the victims but the killing spree, whoever the targets may be, is driving fear among the ordinary public.
This mass killing trend in fact commenced last year. In June and July last year, there were 20 such killings, 15 of which were reported from the Southern Province (SP). In August, there were a further 10 more murders, bringing the spate of killings to 30 within just three months. Sadly, not much headway was made by the Police in these cases. In fact, there was no record of even a single suspect being arrested. The dastardly killings were mostly carried out by motorcycle assassins wearing full-face helmets.
On that occasion, the Police Spokesman said the main reason for the failure to go after the assassins was because their personnel were being deployed to provide security to filling stations and protest venues. Well, the Police are now free to concentrate solely on their primary duty – to halt the crime wave and protect the public.
Mentioning ad nauseam that the killings were due to underworld gang rivalry and drug involvement won’t suffice, unless concrete action is taken to address this situation that is claiming lives each day in a horrifying manner. The Police should be trained to the level of a combat force like the Army to face the gunmen.
Though the Police say that the killings were being directed by drug lords operating from abroad, the murders are being committed on local soil. Why not go after the known felons? We hear Police spokesmen parroting out the aliases of well known criminals who are associates of underworld leaders responsible for many murders. Then why not go after the kingpins?
The nonchalant manner in which these motorcycle killings are carried out, as shown on TV news from CCTV footage, gives one the impression that there is no law in this country. The assassins come on their motorcycles and the pillion rider with the T56 in hand, casually approach the victim, spray bullets, mount the machine and make good their escape watched on by helpless onlookers.
If this state of affairs is allowed to continue, very soon the country will be dubbed as a ‘killing field’ as we were called in those dark days in the late eighties when people were gunned down in public places by ‘unidentified’ assassins.
The Police have been selective in enforcing the law mostly at the behest of politicians while the people are left in the lurch. The Police should be made to live up to its main identity as the country’s premier civil enforcement agency.
The Police should be upgraded and modernized to enable its men and women to face new challenges. Crime has evolved new dimensions due to the involvement of the drugs element and also the free circulation of firearms - a direct result of the Northern conflict.
The Minister’s order for all firearms to be seized is a positive step. However, it should be carried out effectively unlike in the past when after the initial brouhaha, the matter was completely forgotten.
Incentives should be offered to the public to provide more information on criminals and the circulation of firearms. Every possible measure should be tried out to arrest the deteriorating situation and provide a peaceful climate for the public to move about freely without fear and to lead a normal existence.
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