40-651: Sri Lanka Police ( Sinhala : ශ්රී ලංකා පොලීසිය , romanized: Śrī Laṁkā Polīsiya ; Tamil : இலங்கை காவல் , romanized: Ilaṅkai Kāval ) is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka . The police force is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout Sri Lanka. The police force consists of 43 Territorial Divisions, 67 Functional Divisions, 432 Police Stations with more than 84,000 people. The professional head of
80-454: A Vidane Arachchi to each town or village, for prevention and detection of crime in rural areas. 1832 : A committee appointed by the governor was instructed to form a police force. It was decided by this committee that the new police force was to be funded by a tax to be paid by the public. It consisted of one Superintendent, one Chief Constable, five Constables, ten Sergeants and 150 Peons. They were responsible for maintaining law and order in
120-662: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in
160-779: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of
200-463: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of siṁha , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to
240-599: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala
280-512: Is closely integrated with the other security organisations under the authority of the Joint Operations Command. The Police service can be reached across Sri Lanka on the 119 emergency number . Timeline of significant events: 1797 : The office of Fiscal was created. Fredric Barron Mylius was appointed as Fiscal of Colombo and entrusted with responsibility of policing Colombo. 1806 : The regulation No. 6 of 1806 appointed
320-484: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from
360-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of
400-729: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and
440-587: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest
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#1732772061004480-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by
520-716: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,
560-632: The Illicit Immigration sector were established in March 1969. 1972 : The Crime Detective Bureau was started on 1 August 1972. 1973 : On 15 August 1973 the Police Narcotics Bureau was started. The Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau was also established. 1974 : The uniforms for constables and sergeants were changed. 1976 : The rank of Woman Police Sub Inspector was introduced. Two women police officers were promoted to
600-497: The area. 1963 : Divisions in the police were made as North, Central, South, Administration, and Criminal Investigation Department. D. B. I. P. S. Siriwardane, a civil servant, was the first civilian to be appointed as the Deputy Inspector of Police in charge of Administration. 1966 : The Police Public Relations Division was established on 1 October 1966, at Police Headquarters, Colombo. 1969 : The Tourist Police and
640-429: The capital city of Colombo. 1844 : As the police force was restricted to coastal areas only, a second police force was created to cater to the country's interior. 1858 : The police force in the coastal area and the police force in the hill country were unified and amalgamated. 1864 : The first death of a police officer whilst on duty occurred when he attempted to apprehend a brigand by the name of " Saradiel ", who
680-681: The chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala
720-447: The city of Colombo. 1942 : Temporary forces were employed, known as Temporary Police Constables . 1945 : Police units were deployed at all hospitals. Additional units were also deployed for railway security. However, in the following year, the railway police force was discontinued as a necessity for it did not arise. 1952 : Women were enrolled to the police force for the first time. VHF radios were introduced for communication. It
760-612: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ Herbert Dowbiggin Sir Herbert Layard Dowbiggin CMG (26 December 1880 – 24 May 1966)
800-646: The first time, police officers were deployed for the purpose of controlling traffic. 1923 : A book containing comprehensive details regarding all aspects of the police, the Departmental Order Book , was formulated. 1926 : The Sport Division was established. 1930 : A handbook of traffic rules and regulations was issued for traffic duties. 1932 : The Police Headquarters was moved from Maradana to its present location in Colombo Fort . 1938 : Police telephone boxes were deployed throughout
840-700: The former commissioner of the Calcutta Police, recommended the building of highly fortified, military-style Police stations, the so-called ' Tegart forts ', in Arab areas. In 1937, he retired from the service. A public meeting was organised on 10 January by a committee, including Mark Anthony Bracegirdle of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party , to condemn 'the bloodstained record' of Dowbiggin as IGP of Ceylon, to mark 'the victims of police brutality and terrorism of 1915' and to condemn 'the betrayal of
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#1732772061004880-607: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by
920-428: The island. He also modernised the force, introducing new techniques of investigation such as fingerprinting and photography and improving the telecommunications network for the police as well as increasing the mobility of the force. The analysis of crime reports became more systematic. He purchased the land on Havelock Road, Colombo, on which the police headquarters and the 'Police Park' playing fields are located. It
960-547: The lack of necessary medical care within the prison. E. W. Perera , a lawyer from Kotte , braved mine- and submarine-infested seas (as well as the police) along with George E. de Silva to carry a secret memorial initiated and drafted by Sir James Peiris in the soles of his shoes to the Secretary of State for the Colonies , pleading for the repeal of martial law and describing atrocities claimed to have been committed by
1000-469: The nation's security, primarily focusing on internal security. Many police officers have been killed in the line of duty mainly due to terrorist attacks. Specially trained commando / counter-terrorist units named Special Task Force are deployed in joint operations with the armed forces for counter-terrorism operations and VVIP protection. The police command structure in Northern and Eastern provinces
1040-480: The police force had tripled from 585 when IGP Campbell was appointed, to a force of 1528. The first police firing range, training college and the publishing of the annual administration report emerged during this year. 1892 : The Depot Police presently known as the Field Force Headquarters was formed. Uniforms and housing were made free for police officers. The payment of a Good Conduct Allowance
1080-745: The police is the Inspector General of Police who reports to the Minister of Law and Order as well as the National Police Commission. The last Inspector General of Police was Deshabandu Tennakoon . The Acing Inspector General of the Police is currently Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya, who was appointed on September 27, 2024 During the Sri Lankan civil war , the police service became an integral part of maintaining of
1120-619: The police led by Dowbiggin. In January 1930, Dowbiggin was sent to Palestine to advise on the re-organisation of the Palestine Police Force , and his report was submitted in May. It was a highly confidential document which it was considered impossible to publish at the time. On his advice, the British and Palestine Sections of the Police were reinforced, and deployed so that no important Jewish settlement or group of Jewish farms
1160-622: The rank of Sub Inspector. 1978 : The Police Higher Training Institute was established. 1979 : The Children & Women Bureau was established. 1983 : The Police Special Task Force was established. 1985 : A new promotion scheme was introduced from the rank of Police Constable up to the rank of Inspector of Police. 1988 : A Woman Police Inspector was promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police. 1989 : Women were recruited and enlisted as Sub Inspectors. 1991 : The Sri Lanka Police celebrated 125 years of policing in Sri Lanka. 1993 : The Police Information Technology Division
1200-438: Was arrested and had his legs broken in police custody. His younger brothers, Dr. Charles Alwis Hewavhitharana and Edmund Hewavitarne , were also arrested. The latter was subsequently sentenced, in what British Liberal political Phillip Morrel characterized as a miscarriage of justice , to life in penal servitude at Jaffna Prison, where he would die on 19 November 1915 from enteric fever , due to both unsanitary conditions and
1240-799: Was born in Ceylon. His maternal grandfather was Sir Charles Peter Layard , the Government Agent of the Western province (after whom Layard's Broadway in Colombo was named) who was himself the grandson of Gualterus Mooyaart , Administrateur of Jaffna under the Dutch United East India Company , the VOC. He was a relative of Sir Henry Austen Layard of Nineveh fame and of the naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard . Dowbiggin
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1280-428: Was decided that in honour of police officers killed in the line of duty, state funerals with full police honours would be held. In addition the police flag would be flown at half mast throughout the country. 1954 : Police stations were graded into five classifications, Grades "E" to "A". The grading of police stations was considered depending on the workload, population, locality, crimes, important institutions, etc., in
1320-646: Was designated as the Inspector General of Police . William Robert Campbell became the first Inspector General of Police. The Police Headquarters was founded at Maradana, in the City of Colombo. 1870 : Muslim rioters attacked the Police Headquarters. The police were successful in repulsing the attack, but the building was damaged. This year, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was formed. 1879 : The strength of
1360-646: Was early in his tenure that H.H. Engelbrecht , a member of the Afrikaner diaspora who worked as wildlife officer in Yala, was unjustly jailed in 1914 for allegedly having supplied meat to the German light cruiser SMS Emden . Facing the riot of 1915 which broke out between Sinhalese Buddhists and Muslim Ceylon Moors , he authorized the use of draconian measures, including summary execution , flogging , and imprisonment. Sinhalese leader Anagarika Dharmapala
1400-483: Was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and joined the Ceylon Police Force in 1901. He became inspector-general in 1913. During Dowbiggin's tenure of office in Sri Lanka, the strength of the force was enhanced considerably, and the posts of two deputy inspectors general were also created. He oversaw an expansion of the force: the number of police stations increased, so that by 1916 there were 138 all over
1440-517: Was established. 1998 : The Marine Division was established. 1999 : The Ombudsman Division was established. 2000 : The Police Examination Division was established. Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),
1480-507: Was initiated. 1908 : Fingerprinting and photographing of criminals were initiated, along with the direct recruitment to the rank of Assistant Superintendents of Police. 1913 : Herbert Layard Dowbiggin was appointed as the 8th Inspector General of Police. 119 police stations were in operation with a total strength of 2306. 1915 : For the first time two officers were appointed as Deputy Inspectors General of Police. 1916 : 0.22-caliber rifles were issued in place of shotguns. 1920 : For
1520-606: Was subsequently compared to Robin Hood . 1865 : The Police Ordinance was enacted to stipulate the powers and responsibilities of policemen. 1866 : William Robert Campbell, then the chief of police in the Indian province of Rathnageri, was appointed as Chief Superintendent of Police in Ceylon on 3 September 1866. This date is considered as the beginning of the Sri Lanka Police Service. 1867 : The Chief of Police
1560-489: Was the eighth British colonial Inspector General of Police of Ceylon from 1913 to 1937, the longest tenure of office of an Inspector General of Police (IGP). He was called the 'Father of Colonial Police'. He was knighted in 1931. Dowbiggin was the sixth child of Rev. Richard Thomas Dowbiggin and Laetitia Anna Layard . His father had translated the Bible into Sinhala , and his younger brother Hugh Blackwell Layard Dowbiggin
1600-525: Was without a detachment, with access to sealed armouries, furnished with Greener guns. Each colony was provided with a telephone and the road network was improved to give the Police greater mobility. It is significant that Dowbiggin structured the colonial police force in Palestine as a civilian, rather than a military, force, including the deployment of many police stations in rural areas, based on his experience in Sri Lanka. His successor, Charles Tegart ,
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