Sri Lanka’s Police Department is currently facing a severe shortage of approximately 32,000 officers, Inspector General of Police Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya revealed yesterday. Addressing the issue, the IGP stated that immediate steps would be taken to recruit 10,000 new police officers within the year as an initial response to the growing manpower gap.
The announcement was made during a ceremony held to award prizes to fingerprint officers, crime analysis officers, and photographers attached to the Police Crime Division, in recognition of their dedicated service. The event was held under the patronage of the IGP, who used the occasion to highlight the operational challenges confronting the police force.
Elaborating further, Mr. Weerasuriya noted that the manpower shortage is expected to worsen due to a steady wave of retirements. According to him, around 2,500 police officers are due to retire this year, while an additional 2,700 officers are scheduled to retire next year. He emphasized that retirements cannot be prevented and stressed the need for continuous recruitment to ensure the force remains adequately staffed.
The IGP also drew attention to long-standing concerns over police salaries, stating that officers do not currently receive compensation that reflects the nature and demands of their duties. He confirmed that proposals have already been submitted to the government seeking salary increases for police personnel.
Mr. Weerasuriya added that future measures would focus on ensuring police officers are provided with salaries commensurate with the service they perform, alongside sustained recruitment efforts to maintain operational effectiveness within the Police Department.
