Crack down on underworld
There have been several underworld attacks during the last few days. Many may have thought the capture of Sri Lanka’s Napoleon of Crime, Makandure Madush, who was once blamed for most of the organised crimes that shocked the country, would debilitate the underworld, but other criminal gangs seem to have stepped in to fill the void created by his arrest. The disintegration of his crime syndicate has apparently led to other underworld gangs emerging stronger.
The police update the number of ordinary people taken into custody and prosecuted for curfew violations but the underworld gangs strike at will and get away.
On Friday, a gang led by a criminal operating from Dubai fired at a restaurant in Soysapura in full view of the police, for not paying protection money. Three armed policemen, deployed there to protect the eatery, did not respond, and they have been interdicted. The place had come under attack previously, and its owner received death threats. The Dubai-based criminal had given him a choice between paying up and a violent death. The police should have been better prepared to counter Friday’s attack.
The police must assess underworld threats properly before taking action to counter them. Ordinary policemen are no match for hardcore criminals, some of whom are well-trained military deserters. They are sitting ducks before heavily armed gangs like the one responsible for attacks on the Soysapura eating house. Besides, they have to travel to and from work, and criminals can easily target them. This is why the police must deploy the Special Task Force (STF) when they take on criminal gangs. Had the STF been deployed in Soysapura, on Friday, the criminals would have either refrained from carrying out the drive-by shooting or perished in the attack. The success of neutralising threats from dangerous elements hinges on the response time of the law enforcement officers or the military personnel. The mere presence of a few police constables carrying weapons does not scare hardcore criminals.
Extortion is a serious problem many members of the business community have had to live with. They choose to part with big amounts of money, monthly, and remain silent as they fear reprisal in case of complaining to the police.
The police are capable of neutralising extortion gangs if they are pressured to do so. How they dealt with the extortionists, at the Peliyagoda fish market, in 2011, is a case in point. Acting on orders of the then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, they conducted a raid and rounded up all members of the gang engaged in exacting money from fish traders. That operation led by SDIG Anura Senanayake effectively ended extortion at the fish market. There were enough armed police personnel to prevent any of the gangsters from retaliating or fleeing. That is the way to confront the underworld. Extortionists, in other areas, also operate openly, and their identities are known to traders and the police, but, curiously, no action is taken against them. The police must be made to explain why criminal gangs are operating so freely.
The STF has arrested two members of the gang that attacked the Soysapura eatery. It is hoped the police will arrest the other gang members and crack down on the criminals who terrorise the public in other parts of the country as well.
Last year, the people elected as President the former frontline combat officer, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, known for his contribution to the defeat of the LTTE, mainly because they were concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the country; they feared for their own safety following the Easter Sunday carnage. The incumbent government has promised to ensure that extremist terror would not raise its ugly head ever again. Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne is also a former military officer who played a pivotal role in decimating the military wing of the LTTE. The challenge before the government is to rid the country of criminal gangs and live up to the people’s expectations.
There have been several underworld attacks during the last few days. Many may have thought the capture of Sri Lanka’s Napoleon of Crime, Makandure Madush, who was once blamed for most of the organised crimes that shocked the country, would debilitate the underworld, but other criminal gangs seem to have stepped in to fill the void created by his arrest. The disintegration of his crime syndicate has apparently led to other underworld gangs emerging stronger.
The police update the number of ordinary people taken into custody and prosecuted for curfew violations but the underworld gangs strike at will and get away.
On Friday, a gang led by a criminal operating from Dubai fired at a restaurant in Soysapura in full view of the police, for not paying protection money. Three armed policemen, deployed there to protect the eatery, did not respond, and they have been interdicted. The place had come under attack previously, and its owner received death threats. The Dubai-based criminal had given him a choice between paying up and a violent death. The police should have been better prepared to counter Friday’s attack.
The police must assess underworld threats properly before taking action to counter them. Ordinary policemen are no match for hardcore criminals, some of whom are well-trained military deserters. They are sitting ducks before heavily armed gangs like the one responsible for attacks on the Soysapura eating house. Besides, they have to travel to and from work, and criminals can easily target them. This is why the police must deploy the Special Task Force (STF) when they take on criminal gangs. Had the STF been deployed in Soysapura, on Friday, the criminals would have either refrained from carrying out the drive-by shooting or perished in the attack. The success of neutralising threats from dangerous elements hinges on the response time of the law enforcement officers or the military personnel. The mere presence of a few police constables carrying weapons does not scare hardcore criminals.
Extortion is a serious problem many members of the business community have had to live with. They choose to part with big amounts of money, monthly, and remain silent as they fear reprisal in case of complaining to the police.
The police are capable of neutralising extortion gangs if they are pressured to do so. How they dealt with the extortionists, at the Peliyagoda fish market, in 2011, is a case in point. Acting on orders of the then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, they conducted a raid and rounded up all members of the gang engaged in exacting money from fish traders. That operation led by SDIG Anura Senanayake effectively ended extortion at the fish market. There were enough armed police personnel to prevent any of the gangsters from retaliating or fleeing. That is the way to confront the underworld. Extortionists, in other areas, also operate openly, and their identities are known to traders and the police, but, curiously, no action is taken against them. The police must be made to explain why criminal gangs are operating so freely.
The STF has arrested two members of the gang that attacked the Soysapura eatery. It is hoped the police will arrest the other gang members and crack down on the criminals who terrorise the public in other parts of the country as well.
Last year, the people elected as President the former frontline combat officer, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, known for his contribution to the defeat of the LTTE, mainly because they were concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the country; they feared for their own safety following the Easter Sunday carnage. The incumbent government has promised to ensure that extremist terror would not raise its ugly head ever again. Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne is also a former military officer who played a pivotal role in decimating the military wing of the LTTE. The challenge before the government is to rid the country of criminal gangs and live up to the people’s expectations.
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