By Mahil Dole –

Mahil Dole

At a time when Sri Lanka has become a cynosure in the eyes of the international community hosting the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup and, most notably, the high-voltage encounter between arch rivals India and Pakistan the nation stands under an intense global spotlight. Such prestigious sporting events project stability, hospitality, and international credibility. However, the recent escalation of organized shootings and armed criminal activity risks casting an unwelcome shadow over this moment of global engagement.

Security incidents, particularly those involving high-caliber firearms and targeted assassinations, create adverse international perceptions that can undermine not only public confidence but also Sri Lanka’s hard-earned reputation as a safe and responsible host nation. In this context, ensuring visible, decisive, and coordinated security responses becomes not merely a domestic priority but a matter of international standing.

Sri Lanka is witnessing a troubling resurgence of targeted shootings, organized assassinations, and brazen daylight killings that demand urgent national reflection.

Recent incidents from the Akuregoda double murder to shootings in Kalutara and Jinthupitiya point toward an escalation in the operational confidence of criminal syndicates.

The assassination of a lawyer and his spouse using T-56 assault rifles marked a disturbing qualitative shift. These are not crimes of impulse. They are deliberate, structured, and strategically executed acts.

The increasing appearance of high-caliber firearms in criminal hands raises fundamental security concerns. Sri Lanka does not manufacture assault rifles or sophisticated military-grade weapons.

Their circulation implies organized procurement through residual wartime stockpiles, maritime smuggling corridors, regional trafficking networks, or reactivated hidden caches.

This availability is not accidental proliferation; it reflects systemic vulnerabilities that must be addressed through comprehensive border and intelligence reform. Modern criminal syndicates operating in Sri Lanka have evolved beyond traditional underworld structures. They now resemble hybrid threat actors.

They maintain prison-based command networks, coordinate through international financing channels, and operate in tandem with narcotics trafficking enterprises. Contract killings are commissioned with chilling efficiency. The repeated recovery of mobile phones and communication devices from detention facilities reveals a serious institutional breach.

If hundreds of devices are confiscated despite layered access controls, the problem is not technological absence alone it is governance failure, compromised integrity, or both. The persistence of operational communication from inside prison walls underscores the need for digital isolation mechanisms. Signal jamming technologies, biometric access controls, advanced scanning equipment, and strict accountability systems must be institutionalized.

A detention facility that fails to isolate criminal masterminds becomes an extension of organized crime infrastructure. Equally concerning is the intelligence dimension. When assassinations occur in broad daylight using military-grade weaponry, intelligence integration must be questioned.

Sri Lanka possesses capable intelligence professionals. However, modern security challenges require real-time data fusion, predictive visualization, link analysis, and financial intelligence mapping.

Fragmented intelligence silos weaken pre-emptive disruption capabilities. The issue may not be lack of information, but lack of integrated interpretation.

The targeting of legal professionals represents a dangerous escalation. When lawyers become victims, the justice system itself is symbolically attacked.

The rule of law depends on the fearless functioning of legal practitioners. Intimidation within this sphere erodes public confidence and sends a destabilizing message domestically and internationally.

Security perception carries economic consequences. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is a vital pillar of national recovery and  depends on stability and predictability.

Images of armed assailants roaming in daylight circulate rapidly across global media platforms. Even isolated incidents can magnify risk perception. Tourism markets are sensitive to narrative shifts. The psychological impact of recurring gun violence cannot be underestimated. Sri Lanka’s geography presents unique enforcement challenges. A vast coastline, busy maritime lanes, and proximity to regional trafficking routes create vulnerabilities.

Enhanced maritime domain awareness, coordinated naval patrols, container scanning technology, and strengthened customs intelligence are essential.

Regional cooperation through intelligence-sharing frameworks must be deepened to disrupt cross-border arms movements.

Financial networks underpin criminal operations. Informal transfer systems such as hawala or undiyal mechanisms allow funds to move internationally outside regulatory scrutiny. These channels often finance narcotics procurement, arms purchases, and logistical coordination.

Robust anti-money laundering enforcement and financial intelligence integration are critical components of any sustainable solution. Institutional integrity is the cornerstone of national security. No organized crime network thrives without some degree of systemic compromise.

Internal accountability mechanisms, rotational postings in sensitive roles, lifestyle audits, and whistleblower protections must be strengthened. Public trust in law enforcement is inseparable from perceptions of internal discipline and transparency.

Is Sri Lanka developing a “gun culture”? Historically, firearms were largely confined to the context of armed conflict or state security forces.

However, normalization does not require widespread civilian ownership. It requires repetition and psychological conditioning.
When high-profile shootings become frequent, when assault rifles are visibly brandished, and when contract killings are executed with apparent impunity, normalization begins subtly.

The monopoly of legitimate force must remain firmly with the state. If that monopoly appears challenged, decisive corrective measures are essential.

A multi-layered strategy is required: integrated intelligence fusion centers, prison reform, digital isolation systems, maritime surveillance enhancement, financial disruption mechanisms, and judicial protection frameworks.

This moment calls for strategic coordination rather than reactive response. Technological modernization must be paired with human intelligence strengthening.

Data analytics, artificial intelligence, assisted pattern recognition, and inter-agency communication platforms can dramatically enhance predictive capability.

These developments do not occur by default. They are designed, financed, coordinated, and executed. Sri Lanka stands at a defining moment in its post-war security evolution.

With decisive leadership, institutional reform, and strategic integration of modern security tools, the trajectory can be reversed.

Failure to act decisively risks embedding a pattern of armed criminality that would erode public confidence, weaken economic recovery, and challenge national stability.

If complacency prevails, the normalization of armed violence may deepen, eroding national security, economic stability, and public trust.

The monopoly of legitimate force belongs to the state. When that monopoly is visibly challenged, the response must be strategic, coordinated, and uncompromising.

The time for integrated, technology-enabled, and corruption-resistant security reform is now.

The time to act is now!

*Mahil Dole, SSP (Retired), is the former Head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of the State Intelligence Service of Sri Lanka, and has served as Head of the Sri Lankan Delegation at three BIMSTEC Security Conferences. With over 40 years of experience in policing and intelligence, he writes on regional security, interfaith relations, and geopolitical strategy and is the managing director of Smart Security Solutions Pvt  Ltd.