Public Security Minister pledges to standby his men who perform their duty

Minister of Public Security, Sarath Weerasekera yesterday said that he would stand by policemen who performed their duty diligently. Weerasekera made the statement addressing SSPs.

“A large number of policemen have got into trouble by doing the right thing. Because of that most of the honest officers have become demoralised.”

The Minister said that there was no point in having a large police force if the crime rate increased. There were some countries where a person could walk on streets any time without fear, and law had to enforced in such a manner that Sri Lankans, too, would be able to do so.

“There are many Asian countries where a woman can walk on the road at any time. Sri Lanka, women must also be able to do so.”

Weerasekera said that there were plans to eradicate the drug menace through a three-pronged approach. One was to stop drugs coming into the country. The other was to minimise the demand for drugs in the country and the last one was to rehabilitate addicts without putting them in prison.

He said: “We need to launch a campaign to educate schoolchildren on the danger of narcotics. We must also ensure that all drug addicts are rehabilitated. Right now only poor people are sent to rehabilitation centres. On my watch, if anyone is caught using drugs, she or he will be sent for rehabilitation.”