IPA Sri Lanka Section

Sri Lanka Section of the International Police Association was recognized by the International Executive Council (IEC) on 3rd September 1974 at the World Conference held in Graz, Austria. A well respected Officer and a Gentleman, Mr. S. Vamadevan, former Deputy Inspector General of Police, was instrumental in forming the Sri Lanka Section, who went on to become the 1st Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Section of the IPA. Since then the Sri Lanka Section has grown from strength to strength, both numerically and in its professional and social activities.

IPA Sri Lanka Section at present plays a pivotal role in activities to encourage personal contacts within Police circles outside the country, to develop social and cultural activities and to encourage the exchange of professional experiences to enhance image of the Police and to help improve relations between the Police and the General Public, to foster youth exchanges and International youth meetings between Children of Police Officers, provide monitory support to children of Police Officers both serving and retired for their University education, to facilitate International co-operation through friendly contacts between Police Officers of all Continents and to contribute towards the mutual understanding of professional dilemmas and to organize Seminars and workshops on topics of relevance to Police disciplines.

To this end, the IPA Sri Lanka Section has organized seven International Friendship Weeks of one to two weeks duration in the years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2018 which were attended by many IPA members from several overseas Regions.

For the first time in the history of the IPA, the Permanent Executive Bureau (PEB) – the highest International governing body – had their meeting in February 2008 in Colombo.

Delegations from Sri Lanka comprising of 08 members attended the International Executive Council meetings of the IPA world body held in Greece in 1998, 05 members in Spain in 1999, 09 members in USA in 2001, 04 members in Norway in 2003, 04 members in Bruno-airs in 2004, 05 members in Ireland in 2005, 03 members in Hungary in 2007, 03 members in Russia in 2008, 06 members in France in 2010, 03 members in Romania in 2011, 03 members in Denmark in 2013, and 05 members in Germany in 2014, making a total of 58 participants.

Sri Lanka was also represented by a 05 member delegation at the world Congress held in UK in the year 2000, 03 members delegation in Israel in 2012 and by a 02 member delegation in Cyprus in 2015. Sri Lanka was also represented at the IPA World Congress by a delegation of 03 members in 2016 Auckland, New Zealand. A Sri Lankan delegation comprising of 01 Delegate and 02 Observers attended World Congress in 2017 in Bulgaria, and Sri Lanka will also be represented at the IPA World Congress by the National Secretary General in Rotterdam, The Nederlands, this year.

n recognizing Sri Lanka’s role in IPA activities well over 43 years, the current National Secretary General was appointed as the Senior Adviser to the Asian Affairs Bureau (AAB) based in Macau and was also bestowed with a Medal of highest recognition for his dedicated contribution to the International Police Association at a grand ceremony held in June 2017 at the Macau Fishermen’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre in Macau Special Administrative Region. His appointment as the Senior Adviser to the Asian Affairs Bureau of IPA is recorded as an achievement of overseas recognition to a Sri Lankan Member at international level.

Apart from these, Sri Lanka has sent members from the Section to represent at the IPA Liaison Officers Seminars and Human Rights Conferences in the recent times. A three member delegation from Sri Lanka also attended International Anti-Terrorist Conference in Macau and an International Friendship Week in Beijing, China in April 2016, upon an invitation extended by IPA Macau Section.

Further, Sri Lanka Section has sent 12members, both male and female of all ranks for the Arthur Troop Scholarships held in Gimborn, Germany for seminars on Police education on selected subjects of relevance. This year too, the Sri Lanka section sent a nomination for this Scholarship programme.

Besides this, 09 member Police Officers, both male and female of different ranks attended Seminars organized for Young Police Officers in Netherlands in 2011, in Australia in 2013, in Poland in 2015 and in USA in 2017. Two members who are serving female Police Officers recently represented Sri Lanka at the International Women Police Officers Conference in Romania.

Among the Associations in Sri Lanka, few are those with a pedigree such as the “International Police Association in Sri Lanka”. The appellate governing body of the Sri Lanka Section is the National Executive Council (NEC) , which comprises of 27 members elected at the National Congress.

The President of the Sri Lanka Section is the Head of the Sri Lanka Police, by virtue of his office and the Secretary General is the Head of Administration and Operations of the National Section. The current President is Mr. Pujith Jayasundara – the Inspector General of Police and the present Secretary General is Mr. Asoka Wijetilleka, a Former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, who now holds a recognized International position as the Senior Advisor to the Asian Affairs Bureau of the IPA, of which current office is in Macau, China.