Sunday Times 2
Presidential security: A blunder most blatant
The arrest of a commando reportedly with a side arm at a political gathering in Angunakolapelessa on April 25 was a sensational news item hogging the media. The fact that the armed commando was within killing distance of the President at this function organised by the Speaker raised serious concerns over the President’s security.
After a major security faux pas at a political meeting, where a commando, said to be armed with a side arm, managed to breach the security wall and come close to the President, questions are being raised over the efficiency of the Presidential Security Division and whether it is advisable for Mr. Sirisena to mingle so closely with the people, as seen in this picture
Law enforcement officers were aghast at the release of the soldier without producing him before a magistrate.
The day the soldier was arrested and released, the former President in a media statement said the arrested soldier was from his security detail, he was sent by him to accompany his son, a member of parliament (MP), and the soldier did not possess any weapon, but had only a bottle of water with him. Amid such controversy, the soldier was arrested again after about two weeks or so and remanded.
Whilst this belated action by the Police was being taken, statements attributed to the former President claimed that the arrested soldier was armed with a side arm, but had left the weapon in the cubby hole of the vehicle in which he travelled when he alighted at the venue of the meeting, and accompanied the MP unarmed.
According to media reports, the driver of the vehicle used by the MP is said to have confirmed that the side arm was left in the cubby hole of his vehicle, when the soldier disembarked and accompanied the MP.
The statements attributed to the former President give rise to a question as to whether the soldier possessed a weapon when he was apprehended at the Angunakolapelessa meeting.
The hard fact is that those who were responsible for ensuring the security of the President are trained police officers. They have undergone training in the use their Pocket Note Books (PNB), which every officer is expected to carry on his person when he goes out on duty. On his return after duty, he is expected to copy whatever notes he had made in his PNB in the Information Book (IB) – a book available at every police station to record complaints, notes, detections by police officers, the details of their duties, recovery of productions and other information.
In the absence of any statements or communication from the Police Department or the Ministry of Defence, one has to rely on reports appearing in various newspapers. The Sunday Times Political Column reported this incident on May 10, 2015 in great detail. According to this report, the arrest was made by a Police Sergeant and the suspect was handed over to the STF officers and an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who were on duty at the venue. If the Police Sergeant had made the arrest, he must have made notes of the arrest, the recovery of the weapon and the description of the weapon in his PNB and subsequently in the IB of the Police Station to which he is attached to. Even the STF officers and the ASP should have made notes to the effect that the detection was made by the Sergeant and whether the suspect had a weapon. Not to do so would be a blunder most blatant. Their failure would give credence to the statement made by the former President claiming that the soldier was arrested with only a bottle of water on his person. If, at least, the Sergeant who arrested the person with the weapon had made proper notes of the arrest and about the description of the weapon, then of course the credibility of the statement made by the former President could be challenged.
This may be the most serious lapse on the part of the contingent providing security to the President as they have apparently allowed a person armed with a side arm, to enter the venue unchecked and go very much closer to the place where the President was — a distance within the range of a side arm.
Could this exercise have been a trial or dry run to check on the intensity of the security provided to the President and also to check how close a person could go armed with a side arm near a VIP? An urgent and serious review has to be done by the authorities to provide proper and tight security to the President. The authorities in charge of providing security to the President should guide and brief the President on the necessity of his protection. The late President Ranasinghe Premadasa took part in the May Day procession in spite of advice given by his security personnel not to go out in the open. He was a man of the poor people, but his over enthusiasm and disregard for security protection led to his death.
The present President was voted into office by 6.2 million people because they wanted to end state thuggery, corruption and jackboot governance. He should be mindful of his own security and heed the advice of his security personnel.
One does not expect the President to be surrounded by armed guards or kept in a bullet proof cage. He should be allowed to interact with the people. Providing security has to be based on intelligence on the threat to his life, and the assessment of the advance security team, the spotters who should be trained and intelligent to be watchful and vigilant of any suspicious characters, the Ring Round Team and the rapid response armed unit ready at all times to cover the President when in danger.
The sergeant who is said to have detected the armed soldier had felt suspicious of the presence of this soldier and made the arrest. It is this type of vigilance and alertness that is necessary for the security personnel who are deployed in civvies in providing security to the President, especially the spotters and the members of the Ring Round Team. Uniformed personnel on duty at VVIP meetings should carry out proper body checks of everyone who comes to the venue or to attend the event.
Let this incident be an eye opener to the President as well as to the officers providing security to him. They should take immediate action to select officers of high calibre, physical fitness, intelligence and above politics, train them in providing security to the President and other VVIPs.
(The writer is a retired Deputy Inspector
General of Police)