The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, before answering, a few points. We all know how the underworld was nurtured over time with political patronage to retain power. As the President pledged, our resolve to suppress the underworld has not diminished. We have taken many decisions and are proceeding according to a plan.

¶ 02 The issues of narcotics and the underworld are intertwined. Reviewing incidents in 2022, 2023 and 2024, there is no extraordinary surge; nevertheless, we do not treat even one shooting lightly. Every life is valuable. We have taken the highest-level decisions and launched an operational plan. I will now answer the Member’s questions.

¶ 03 1. From 2024.09.21 to yesterday: 62 shootings linked to organized activities; 17 other shootings. Total 79. 2. From 2024.09.21 to 2025.05.07: Organized shootings—deaths 47; injuries 25. Other shootings—deaths 5; injuries 10. Total: 79 shootings; 52 deaths; 35 injuries. 3. Arrests: For the 62 organized shootings, 229 suspects arrested; for the 17 other shootings, 31 arrested. Total 260 arrested. 4. Numbers at large cannot be precisely stated. Arrests are made based on unfolding investigations. Publicly disclosing identities may enable evasion and hinder investigations. 5. These are killings among underworld groups and clashes among drug-trafficking networks. Government measures include: - Island-wide roadblocks, day/night/mobile patrols, snap checks, fixed checkpoints, enhanced intelligence deployment. - Strengthening data systems on organized criminals; dedicated fingerprint and modus operandi databases; tracking absconders. - Implementing automated facial recognition at the airport. - Deploying police to monitor prison visitations and perimeter; weekly Police–Prisons coordination; analyzing mobile phones seized from prisons. - Taking stern action against any police personnel involved in crimes. - Coordinating with entities like the Border Risk Assessment Centre (BRAC). - Joint naval interdictions for maritime drug seizures. - STF mobile and motorcycle patrols in Western and Southern Provinces. - Advancing bilateral cooperation to repatriate overseas suspects; securing INTERPOL Red Notices. - Expanding foreign and domestic training for officers; continuous legal awareness; incentives and rewards, including for firearms seizures and informants. - Enhancing inter-unit information sharing; using modern tech and WhatsApp for instant alerts and responses.

¶ 04 Forthcoming actions: - Drafting special laws to combat organized crime. - Expediting mechanisms to bring overseas drug-network controllers to Sri Lanka and shrinking the domestic drug market. - Establishing forensic laboratories. - Upgrading airport facial recognition and installing software for efficient use of CCTV and phone analytics. - Decentralizing technical analysis hubs for ongoing investigations. - Implementing an integrated, near-real-time crime data system across all police stations. - Establishing a Central Criminal Investigation Unit to ease CID bottlenecks; all arrangements are ready. - Creating a Criminal Division in every province; Cabinet approval obtained and to be implemented within two weeks.

¶ 05 We emphasize: measures are in place to suppress underworld activity and drug trafficking, fulfilling our commitments to the public. Thank you.