The Police Commission said it had held 155 sessions over the past three years and more than 5,000 decisions were taken during that period by the seven-member commission after careful consideration of facts, the Police Commission said in a press release.
It was issued in response to media reports that stated that Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Wijayedasa Rajapakshe had referred to the Commission as a home for the aged and that the expected tasks had not been fulfilled.
A code of ethics and transfer policy for police officers, performance evaluation system for officers in charge of police stations and a scheme for the increase of women representation in the police are some of the major work of the commission.
“The Commission has disposed 4,415 appeals made by police officers including 2,500 appeals carried forward from the past. A large number of delayed promotions of junior police officers were expedited. Further, 86% of 4,805 public complaints received by the Commission have been investigated. A publication with details of the Commission’s accomplishments during the past three years has been released.
It is detrimental to express opinion about the performance of the independent Commission without an objective evidence based assessment of its work duly comparing with its mandate,” The Commission said in its release.
The Police Commission noted that the age factor of the commission members has no bearing on the accomplishment of the expected tasks. “In fact, a probability of a decision to be correct, objective and unbiased is higher when the decision is taken by a team of seven matured, experienced persons. These appointments have been made by the Constitutional Council, a body above party politics at the national level under the provisions of the Constitution. The minister himself had been a member of the Council when these appointments were made,” adding that as such, the statement of the minister, in a way is questioning the rationality of decisions made by the supreme body.
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