Author name: Tharindu Withanage

The IGP Challenge Trophy National Police Cadet Camp will be held from today, 04.10.2025, to 10.10.2025, centered at the Sri Lanka Police College, Kalutara. The Police Cadet Service commenced on 4th July 1972, centered at the Special Police Sub-Service Headquarters in London Place, Colombo, and since then, the IGP Trophy National Camp has been held at selected locations around the island as the culmination of the annual training of police cadets.  This year, 1600 students from 64 police cadet platoons and 40 police cadet senior non-commissioned officers selected from nearly 500 schools across the island will participate in the camp. The Acting Director of the Police Cadet Division, Senior Superintendent of Police P.D.P. Perera, was present to supervise the activities on the inaugural day. The closing ceremony of this camp is scheduled to be held on 10.10.2025 at the Kalutara Police Training College.

“Nurture With Love – To Lead the World” is the theme of this year’s World Children’s Day. The Sri Lanka Police is dedicated at every moment to ensuring the safety of every child in this country, with the aim of providing for them to win the future world. On this special day dedicated to children, your police had organised a series of special programmes, lectures, and prize-giving ceremonies at police station and community policing unit levels across the island for children living in those areas. The World Children’s Day was celebrated this year as well, holding a colourful ceremony with various events, jointly by the preschool trio “Tiny Tots,” managed by the Police Families Welfare Association and attended only by the children of police officers, together with the “Lakvindu” preschool operated by the Community Policing Division for the early childhood development of underprivileged children in society. The children of these preschools, located in Police Field Force Headquarters, Kew Road, and Maradana, along with their parents, gathered on the morning of 01.01.2025 at the Police Families Welfare Building in Colombo 05, and there was the opportunity to witness an exhibition of children’s handicrafts and drawings, as well as a performance, showcasing the creative talents of both the children and their teachers. Attorney-at-Law Mrs Nilmini Samarathunga, Chairperson of the Police Families Welfare Association and the Police Seva Vanitha Unit, graced this occasion as the chief guest. Former Acting Chairperson Mrs Prashanthi Fernando, Secretary of the Association Mrs P. Wijesooriya, Treasurer and Chairwoman of the Education Committee Mrs Jayanthi Ekanayake, and other active members of the Police Families Welfare Association, as well as the Manager of the Bambalapitiya Branch of the Bank of Ceylon, participated in this event.

Based on a concept of the Inspector General of Police (Attorney-at-Law) Priyantha Weerasooriya, with the intention of directing police officers to acquire new knowledge as public servants who are required to be fully informed and sensitive, the Police Library Association is carrying out the necessary activities to construct and renovate libraries covering every police division in the Island.  The 64th Divisional Library thus constructed was declared opened on 30.09.2025 under the leadership of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Mullaitivu Range, Mr. J. C. Chandrasena, at the premises of the Office of Senior Superintendent of Police Mullaitivu.  Senior police officers including the Hon. President of the Sri Lanka Police Library Association, Senior Superintendent of Police Rathnaweera L. G. U. Chandana Herath, Senior Superintendent of Police in Charge of Mullaitivu Division, Rathnaweera L. Adassooriya, along with the Secretary of the Police Library Association, Women Chief Inspector of Police, M. D. L. P. Madapatha, Deputy Secretary, Police Sergeant 66757 Jagath Chaminda, Executive Committee Member, Sub-Inspector of Police, G. W. P. Wasantha, Police Sergeant 26947 D. S. K. Colombage, Police Sergeant 47475, M. B. T. Weragama, and Police Sergeant 27018 H. A. U. Ariyakumara participated in this event.

Although reading books is extremely important for the development of the imaginative ability of a person, there is a trend of a gradual reduction in the use of print media within the society with the increasing availability of new technological devices. Various programmes are being organised among the public by writers, scholars, and responsible citizens in order to avert this situation, and likewise, the Sri Lanka Police is also engaged in the process of making opportunities for its members for the reference of valuable documents and books under the guidance of the Inspector General of Police. The Library Association of Sri Lanka Police takes the leadership in this regard, and necessary steps are taken for the development of libraries maintained in police stations across the island, as well as for the establishment of new libraries by properly managing the contributions made from the salaries of every police officer to the library fund. The new library thus established for the Vavuniya camp of the Police Special Task Force was declared open on 29.09.2025 under the patronage of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Vanni Range, Mr S. D. Samanthara Wijesekara. Hon. Chairman of the Police Library Association, Senior Superintendent of Police Mr A. G. U. Chandana Herath, together with officers of the Police Special Task Force, participated in the opening ceremony.

The building of Vavuniya Division Crime Bureau, the building of Vavuniya Division Special Crime Investigation Bureau and the building of children and women bureau at Echchankulam in Vavuniya Division which were renovated under the program of developing police stations in the Northern Province with physical facilities and pleasant surroundings, were declared open on 26.09.2025 under the leadership of the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Northern Province, Mr. Thilak C.A. Dhanapala. One of the main objectives of these projects is to familiarize the police station with the children and women in the Tamil community, the majority of the area, by making the police station a more inviting and pleasant place for the people to lodge complaints. The quarters allocated for the police sergeants of the Vavuniya Police Station have also been properly repaired and modernized. Senior officers of the division, including Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Wanni Range, Shamantha Wijesekera, and Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Vavuniya Division, W. A. Somaratne Wijayamuni, participated in the opening ceremony to hand over all these facilities to the officers.  

When considering the ethnic harmony among nationalities, a notable service is being extended by both Tamil- and Sinhala-speaking police officers on duty in the North Province. Since it is critical for the officers to be in a good mental state for performing their duties efficiently, the senior police officers in charge of the Northern Province, led by the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Northern Province, Mr. Tilak C. A. Dhanapala, are making a deliberate attempt to improve the infrastructure facilities at every police station in that province. Accordingly, the construction of police quarters and a fully furnished mess for all officers has begun, as there were no separate accommodation facilities for the women police constables and police sergeants who have come to serve at Police Station Chunnakam from distant locations, leaving them separated from their loved ones. The quarters and the mess, which were fully completed within a short period of time, were ceremonially declared open on the morning of 26.09.2025 under the leadership of Senior DIG in charge of the Northern Province, Mr. Tilak C.A. Dhanapala, and with the participation of senior officers including the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Jaffna Range, Mr. G. H. Marapana, and the Officer in charge of the Jaffna Police Division, Mr. J. P. S. Jayamaha.