Absence of Tamil Cops is Main Reason for Rise in Crime in Jaffna

By P.K.Balachandran-Wednesday, June 01, 2016

COLOMBO: The alarming rise in crime in  Jaffna peninsula since Eelam War IV ended in 2009, is attributed to a variety of factors, but one of the principal causes appears to be the absence of Tamil-speakers, especially ethnic Tamils, in the local police force, says M. A.Sumanthiran, Jaffna  district MP and spokesman for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Describing the situation  as being "very serious" , Sumanthiran said that unless Tamils are recruited at all levels, crime detection will continue to suffer grievously and result in further widening the "trust deficit" that has always existed between the Tamils and the powers-that- be in Colombo.

The trust deficit could be seen very clearly in the statement issued by the Bishop of Jaffna, Rev.Dr. Justin Gnanaprakasam, on the crime situation in the northern peninsula.

The Bishop wondered if the increasing  incidents of robberies and street violence involving gangs armed with axes, swords and machets, and the surge in youngmen taking to drugs and alcohol, reflect a "scheme" to destroy Tamil society and culture.

The Bishop was pointing an accusing finger at the Central government in Colombo and its agencies, the police and the armed forces, without naming them.

He was voicing a conspiracy theory popular among Tamils even after the draconian regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa was replaced by a liberal one headed by Maithripala Sirisena in January 2015.

Sumanthiran, however, does not go along with this anti-government conspiracy theory. He told Express that the root cause of the rise in crime is the near total absence of Tamils in the police force.

"Crime detection and prevention is impossible without familiarity with the local lingo.Recruitment of native speakers of Jaffna Tamil is therefore a must. Government is to induct 400 Tamils into the police and their training is over, but actual  induction has hit a hurdle.I met the Ministers of Law and Order and Justice to get it cleared at the earliest and they have promised to do so, " Sumanthiran said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Jaffna is deteriorating. A gang in Nallur recently tried to break into a house, but when the attempt failed, it senselessly attacked people on the street some of whom had to be hospitalised.

"To my knowledge there are eight or  nine areas in the peninsula in which such gangs operate.People do not come to the rescue of the victims for fear of being the next to be targeted," said CVK.Sivagnanam, Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC).

"The fact that these gangs are let off on bail easily, and they continue with their criminal activity while on bail, has given rise to suspicion of collusion between the police and the gangs," he added.

The Northern Province Chief Minister C.V, Wigneswaran and the Government Agent in Jaffna (Collector) N.Vedanayagan, have discussed the matter with the police top brass in Jaffna.The Bishop of Jaffna struck the right note in his statement when he called for active and widespread civil society participation in ensuring public security.