The Inspector General of Police, C.D. Wickramaratna, testifying before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), has said that a meticulous plan has been drawn up to provide opportunities for women to acquire higher positions, including the post of IG in the Police Department.
A number of senior officials, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, the Inspector General of Police, and others, were called before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday (26) for the inspection of the Auditor General’s reports and current performance for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021.
The COPA also inquired into the issues, including the shortage of female officers in the Sri Lanka Police. It was revealed that there are 2419 female police constable vacancies, which were proposed to be filled in 2023 but failed to be accomplished due to the current economic situation.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Wickramaratna, has said that comprehensive reforms have been proposed to change the traditional outlook in the police and give women an opportunity to acquire higher positions, including the post of Inspector General of Police, in the future.
According to this, the IGP said the government will provide an opportunity for a woman to become an IGP in the future.
Currently, due to bitter competition between the senior DIGs and the politicians backing them, consideration at the highest level of government is given to a woman for the post of Police Commissioner, and for that, the name of a President’s Counsel who held a high position in the legal field was also proposed.
