Author name: Tharindu Withanage

The 2025 Sri Lanka Police Inter-Division Volleyball Tournament officially commenced at 6:30 a.m. on November 5, 2025, at the Police Field Force Headquarters Grounds in Colombo. The inaugural ceremony was held under the patronage of Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatte, President of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Association, with 37 women’s police teams and 67 men’s police teams representing each police division present with a strong determination to win the volleyball trophy. These teams are the most talented teams selected from the competitions held at the divisional level, so they will have the opportunity to experience a series of extremely exciting competitions. The winning team and the best players are scheduled to be awarded trophies and prizes at the closing ceremony to be held on the evening of 07.11.2025 under the patronage of the Inspector General of Police. The tournament was inaugurated by Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatte, who congratulated the team members for successfully completing the tournament by developing camaraderie. The player’s pledge was given by the captain of the police volleyball team, Supun Ushantha, and the referee’s pledge was given by Chief Referee Wimalaratne Rajakaruna. Senior officers including the Commanding Officer of the Police Special Task Force, Deputy Inspector General of Police D.G. Samantha de Silva, the Commanding Officer of the Police Field Force Headquarters, Senior Superintendent of Police Prashantha de Silva, the Director of the Police Sports Division, Senior Superintendent of Police Y.D.S. Pinnaduwa, and the Secretary of the Police Volleyball Association, Chief Inspector Wijemanne, participated in this event.

The closing ceremony of the IGP Challenge Cup Taekwondo Championship was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Miyon Lee, Ambassador of Korea, with the participation of the Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya(Attorney-at-Law), on 04.11.2025, at the Auditorium of the Foundation Institute, Colombo. Originating from the Republic of Korea, Taekwondo is a globally recognized martial art that has been introduced to Sri Lankan police officers during their training period for many years. Such tournaments provide opportunities for officers to further enhance their skills and compete at the provincial level. Notably, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya is also a 6th Dan Black Belt holder in Taekwondo, having been awarded an honorary degree from Korea. The preliminary rounds of this year’s tournament were held earlier at the Katukurunda Special Task Force Training School, while the final match of the under-58 kg weight category took place during this ceremony. In this intense encounter between Police Constable 105855 N. P. N. Fernando and Police Constable 101324 R. M. K. N. Rathnayake of the Special Task Force, Constable Rathnayake secured his victory. Afterwards, the awards and trophies were presented, and the trophy for the Best Male Athlete of the novice category, was awarded to Police Constable 60105 W. M. M. Wijesinghe of the Kalutara Police College, who represented the Western Province, and competed in the 74–80 kg weight category. The award was presented by Deputy Inspector General of Police in Charge of Human Resource Management and International Relations Range, M. N. Sisira Kumara, who also serves as the President of the Sri Lanka Police Taekwondo Association. The trophy for the Best Female Athlete in the novice category, was awarded to Woman Police Constable 10398 N. D. S. P. Weerawardhana of the Warakapola Police Station, who represented the Sabaragamuwa Province and competed in the 49–53 kg weight category. The award was presented by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Colombo Range, Nishantha de Soyza. The trophy and awards for Best Senior Officer were presented to Police Constable 101324 R. M. K. N. Rathnayake, while the Best Referee certificate and reward were presented to International Referee H. S. D. S. Dilruk. The Inspector General of Police and the Ambassador of Korea together presented the Overall Championship Trophy of the Novice Category to the Western Province, and the Overall Championship Trophy of the Tournament, i.e. the IGP’s Taekwondo Challenge Trophy, to the Special Task Force Taekwondo Pool, who emerged as overall champions of the tournament. The event was also attended by Deputy Inspector General of Police Nalaka de Silva, Assistant Superintendent of Police of the Special Task Force and Secretary of the Sri Lanka Police Taekwondo Association, Mrs. Nirosha Kumari, along with senior and junior officers of the Sri Lanka Police and the Special Task Force. The ceremony featured a Taekwondo artistic display by the Ratnapura Diamond Kick Taekwondo Academy, renowned for their skillful training, and a colourful cultural performance by the Police Cultural Division that added vibrancy to the event.

A programme organized by Mothers’ Unit of Police Seva Vanitha to distribute essential items and equipment among female Police Officers who are pregnant was held on 2025.11.01 at the main lecture hall of the Criminal Records Division, Colombo. About 120 pregnant Police Officers discharging duty in Western Province have participated in this event, which was organized under the patronage of the Hon. Chairperson of Police Family Welfare Association and the Police Seva Vanitha Unit, Mrs. Nilmini Samaratunga, (Attorney-at-Law). Distribution of the essential items was conducted under the full sponsorship of Forever Private Ltd. An awareness programme on maintaining beauty routine during pregnancy was conducted by Mrs. Chandani Bandara, Chairperson of the Forever Private Ltd. In addition to that, a lecture on proper nutrition to give birth to a healthy child in the future was conducted by Dr. C. Wijenayake. Measures have been taken to conduct another awareness programme on cleanliness and exercise during pregnancy by the Nursing Officer, Inspector of Police, Ms.  N. L. C. Oshadhi. The pregnant officers have been treated with a nutritious and delicious lunch prepared especially for them. The Chairperson of the Police Headquarters Seva Vanitha Sub-Unit, W. D. I. G. Ms. Nishani Seneviratne, the Treasurer of the Association, W. D. I. G. Ms. Darshika Kumari, the O. I. C. of the Police Family Welfare Association, Chief Inspector of Police, Ms. Padmini Jayaweera, the officers of the Association, the Head of Marketing, Forever Private Ltd. Ms. Buddhika Wickremage and the staff have participated in the event.

The student, Senali Chamathka Ranasinghe, who ranked first in the Island in the Arts Stream of the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination 2024, and the student, Tharushi Imathma, who ranked second in the Grade 05 Scholarship Examination 2025, were felicitated at a ceremony held on the morning of 01.11.2025 at the headquarters of the Junior Police Officers’ Association under the patronage of the Inspector General of Police, Attorney-at-Law, Priyantha Weerasooriya. During this event, the student who emerged first in the Arts Stream was awarded an amount of Rs. 150,000 and the student who became second in the Island in the Scholarship Examination was awarded an amount of Rs. 125,000 through the financial provisions allocated by the Junior Police Officers’ Association. The Manager of the Colombo City Branch of the Bank of Ceylon also participated in the event at the invitation and in collaboration with the Junior Police Officers’ Association, and the two students were also presented with gifts and cash prizes by the said financial institutions. Senior police officers including Senior DIG in charge of Support Services Range, Rajitha Sri Daminda, Director of the Police Welfare Division, Senior Superintendent of Police Pandula Weerasinghe, Assistant Superintendent of Police Colombo Central Minura Senarath, officers of the Junior Police Officers’ Association and the parents of the students participated in the event. 

With the objective of ensuring the safety and protection of women and children within the Murunkan Police Area, the newly established Women and Children’s Bureau at the Murunkan Police Station was declared open on 29th October 2025 under the patronage of the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Northern Province, Mr Thilak C. A. Dhanapala.   The necessary funding for this initiative was provided by the Government of Japan and the United Nations Population Fund, and the World Vision organization acts as the partner with the Government of Sri Lanka for this programme of establishing Women and Children’s Bureaus across the island. These new facilities will increase the tendency towards making complaints to the police station by women and children in the area.

The national campaign “Ratama Ekata”, organized under the instructions of the Honorable President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to address the urgent need of having a national mission to eradicate the drug menace from the country, was officially launched this morning, 30.10.2025, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo. As we all know, the drug menace which is destroying the lives of young adults as well as the school children has become the major cause of many crimes committed within the country. I such a circumstance, this mission fulfills the need of a collective operation to combat this rising threat of narcotics distribution, which is requested by many in every social strata of the country. A broad public participation is expected by this for the operations of the security forces, including the Sri Lanka Police, which operate along with the full support and blessing of the national-level political leadership.  The public security committees, formed at the local level to represent all strata of society, play a vital role here. As instructed, following public awareness efforts through electronic and printed media, rural campaigns, and increased raids and intelligence, more drug addicts will be referred for rehabilitation in the future. He, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who presided over the inaugural ceremony, addressed the gathering and stated that the era in which the drug trafficking and the financial power of the criminal gangs associated with it are destroying the state economy, state mechanism, and even the command of law, leading both the country and society to destruction, has been curbed to some degree due to the commitment of the Sri Lanka Police, and that these operations are initiated with the contribution of all to eradicate it completely. In parallel, the corrupt officials who have been involved in drug trafficking and organized crime in responsible government institutions, including the Sri Lanka Police, Sri Lanka Customs, the Department of Motor Traffic, and the Department of Immigration and Emigration, and who are aiding and abetting drug trafficking and organized crimes will be promptly arrested and brought before the court. The ultimate objective of this operation is to prevent the recurrence of such a situation for the sake of future generations and to liberate the country from the disastrous circumstances associated with drugs. As patriotic citizens, we urge you to lend your full support to the security forces, including the Sri Lanka Police.