Chairman

Mr. E.W.M. Lalith Ekanayake (Retd. High Court Judge)

Chairman’s Message

Police is the core mechanism established by the State, to protect people’s rights, establish and maintain order and guarantee stability and security of the public. For carrying out these functions, Police use power. The use of power, place the Police in a unique and sensitive position in a democratic state. As such, adequate controlling mechanisms are required to ensure that Police always use power in the public interest and operating impartially.

The National Police Commission through its role of oversight of policing and ensuring its accountability, tasked to ensure that police personnel are of high professional standard and the right of the public for a peaceful and secured life is guaranteed through sound policing. Accountability process facilitate evaluating effectiveness of police and the police service to ensure that Police officers perform to their full potential, instilling confidence in the government and being responsive to the community they are meant to be serving.

Accountability in policing involves a system of internal and external checks and balances aimed at ensuring that police perform functions expected of them to a high standard and are held responsible if they fail to do so. The Commission attempts to achieve these objectives through constitutional functions of human resource management of police service and management of public complaints. It aims to prevent the police from misusing their powers, to prevent political authorities from misusing their control over police and most importantly to enhance public confidence and build police legitimacy.

At this moment the role of the National Police Commission is wide and crucial and even though in decision making National Police Commission is always doing it in consultation with the Inspector General of Police, NPC should ensure that the independent decisions of the NPC are not prejudice due to such consultation. As such, the aim of the commission is to make the police service that ensures high professionalism, people friendly and that protect people’s rights guaranteed by the constitution.