Handling public protests
During the recent past, we witnessed through the media, the manner the Police handled unarmed public protesters.
Police should handle public protests more professionally. The use of minimum force should be the main factor in handling protesters. Using excessive force to prevent protests would result in unnecessary injuries to the public, and the police, while the governments are subject to criticism.
There are two types of protests, namely, Protest marches and Stagnated protests.
I had to handle a large number of different types of protests during my long service in the Police Department and I express my opinion, based on my experience.
Protest marches
When the public who are unarmed conduct protest marches, the Police personnel in physical contact with such public should be totally unarmed, even without batons.
The protest march should be prevented physically by 3-4 rows standing from the front to the back of each other covering the entire area of the road, etc., preventing protesters passing through the human Police barrier. Police personnel so detailed must only physically prevent protesters proceeding further, but should not assault. When the Police personnel in the front row are exhausted, those in the second row should swap position and take over the above task.
While this process is in progress, a senior officer who is intelligent, knowledgeable, able to counter the protesters’ arguments, has patience and probably with a good height to enable better communications with the protesters must get in to the protesters with a few unarmed officers and discuss the grievances of the protesters with their leaders.
During these situations, the protesters could provoke the Police personnel with critical and humiliating remarks, which would result in the latter using excessive powers.
As long as the Police personnel are not assaulted by the protesters, and property not damaged, the police officers on duty must bear up with all these remarks and have extreme patience. This is why I stated that the police must handle such situations more professionally.
Any stern Police action against the protesters should be fully justified by them. The policy should be that the police must wait till the protesters make mistakes, such as, assaulting police personnel, committing damages to property, criminal trespass, etc.,
When the protesters resort to violence and criminal acts, only then should the Police use minimum force by using water cannon, tear gas, batons, etc., depending on the situation.
If the Senior Officer who communicates with the protesters and commands Police personnel, handles them efficiently and effectively; and the unarmed Police in physical contact with the protesters perform their duties as per instructions, there will not be any need to use more force on protesters.
The present situation is that the first police party to contact the protesters are armed with batons, wicker shields and helmets and place iron barriers. When Police personnel are not properly briefed and trained to handle such situations, naturally, they use batons which result in injuring protesters, provoking them and leaving room to justify them retaliating against the Police.
In my opinion, the police have not handled protests in a professional manner in the recent past.
The policy should be that, rather than the Police making mistakes or excessive use of force, they must wait for protesters to commit mistakes or criminal acts.
In the past history, several governments had to face embarrassing situations and have been subject to severe public criticism, as a result of the wrong handling of protesters by the Police.
Stagnated protests
Rather than deploying big numbers of Police personnel, unless the public are inconvenienced a few officers capable of handling and communicating with the protesters must be deployed, and as much as possible prevent public inconvenience with no force used, and only a minimum force used when the need arises.
Quality of police service
The Police Department must possess officers of quality in all aspects rather than having big numbers, and pay attention to their personal and official needs too.
The basic training and in service training to all ranks at present are hardly adequate in comparison with the tasks entrusted to them. Also, the academic qualification for recruitment need to be enhanced. An effective, efficient and well-disciplined police service will be an asset to the country as well as the government.
Jayantha Paranathala
Snr.Dy.Inspector General (Retd)
Congratulations and suggestions to CMC Mayor
Congratulations to Mrs. Rosy Senanayake, the first female Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council. You have a colossal task before you, which has hitherto been neglected. The administration of the CMC was smooth and active only during the period of the late Ranasinghe Premadasa as Minister of Local Government, Prime Minister and President, as he was a ‘man of action.’
In 1990, I published two letters in an English daily, drawing the attention of the then Mayor to a very dangerous pot hole in the centre of a main road. As he ignored both letters I had to write a strong letter under the heading “Changes at the top are needed in the institution’s future interests”. This disturbed the Mayor and he sent his officers with a message asking me to meet him. I met him and to make a long story short, the press officer was directed to request me not to publish letters but contact him as regards any issue relating to the city. However, after the demise of President Premadasa any letter complaining of a shortcoming was hardly attended to even if copies were sent to the Ministry of Local Government, the Prime Minister’s Office or to the Presidential Secretariat.
Coming to the present, I read about your future plans of not only improving Colombo but also, several other services. Though these have been the normal words of every new Mayor who assumes duty, I believe you will keep your word, since you have long experience in different fields. The first most important matter for you, which I suggest, would be to instruct your officers to acknowledge or reply the letters addressed to them within a fortnight. The second is to eradicate corruption. One way of avoiding corruption is to do the following:
1. Applications received should be acknowledged by a serial number written clearly on it by the respective departments.
2. The serial numbers should be written in all registers of the relevant departments.
3. Official work for these applications should be attended to according to their serial numbers.
4. No bypassing of a serial number should be allowed, without the special approval of the Mayor or the Commissioner. Constant checking of serial registers is essential.
5. This would certainly prevent some officers taking ‘something’ from the ‘affordable’ to give priority to their applications, while compelling others to go from pillar to post for years, under lame excuses.
Officers found guilty should be severely dealt with, and stringent punishments given. If not, this system will serve no purpose.
The government should introduce the ‘serial number’ system to its institutions, especially, those dealing with public affairs, where corruption is rampant.
Nazly Cassim,
Colombo 13.