Capable police personnel deprived of opportunity to uplift the Department of Police: Senior DIG S.M.Wickremesinghe

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Senior DIG in charge of the Central Province, S.M.Wickremesinghe retired from his position today (December 31). An event to bid farewell to the DIG was held at the Police grounds in Kandy yesterday. Senior DIG S.M.Wickremesinghe was appointed to the position, following the retirement of N.K. Ilangakoon. Although S.M.Wickremesinghe's name was proposed to the constitutional council for the position of IGP, he did not get appointed. S.M.Wickremesinghe: "As a police officer, I have never bowed down to anyone, and have always enforced the law equally and honestly. Due to the nature of my career, I was transferred to the Padaviya area from Kandy. When Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected as the President in 2005, a number of senior police officers were hesitant to take over the responsibility of protecting him. Although I did not have any experience of providing security to VIPs, I took over the responsibility. We established a very strong security force within a short period. I led nearly 2500 police officers and 2000 officers of the tri forces. Although I joined the police, with the objective of becoming the IGP one day, when I was given the opportunity by then-president in 2011, I decided to give that opportunity to my senior and wait for the right time." He added that although he was not appointed as the IGP, he does not consider this as a failure or defeat. According to him the unfortunate fate the police are facing today is mainly because many police officers, who could have led the police department in the right manner, were deprived of that opportunity.