10,000 Ex-Military to Join Police Support Service Under New Five-Year Program

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, has announced a major recruitment and restructuring initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s police force and support services.

The Minister revealed that the government has approved the recruitment of 10,000 personnel into the Police Support Service, with a Cabinet paper already being prepared for submission. 

The proposal includes enlisting individuals under the age of 45 who have legally retired from active military service and have maintained good conduct. These recruits will serve in the police support service for a period of five years.

In addition to this, the government plans to permanently recruit 5,000 new officers into the regular police force. Discussions have already been held with the Secretary to the Ministry and the Inspector General of Police to expedite the process.

The Minister also confirmed that 5,000 lower-ranking officers will be promoted within the next three months, and 1,500 vacancies in the rank of Police Inspector will be filled to strengthen leadership within the force.

Further, the Ministry has launched a program to recruit 100 legal officers to support the police’s legal and investigative functions. The Minister acknowledged the presence of numerous unresolved issues within affiliated police services and assured that solutions are being actively pursued.

“We are committed to resolving these challenges swiftly and effectively,” Minister Wijepala stated. “We’ve also decided to reward officers based on the quality and effectiveness of their investigations, with incentives starting from a minimum of one million rupees.”