{"id":112295,"date":"2013-10-30T13:10:28","date_gmt":"2013-10-30T07:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=112295"},"modified":"2013-11-04T08:44:19","modified_gmt":"2013-11-04T03:14:19","slug":"the-collapse-of-the-police-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-collapse-of-the-police-administration\/","title":{"rendered":"The Collapse Of The Police Administration"},"content":{"rendered":"

By R.M.B Senanayake<\/a><\/span> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

R.M.B. Senanayake<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr Frank De Silva<\/a><\/span> retired IGP has written a very forthright and\u00a0diagnostic article on why the administration in the Police Department\u00a0has collapsed. He quotes from various media reports regarding the\u00a0malpractices and criminal activities of the police officers who are\u00a0enjoined to prevent crime and bring criminals to book and not to\u00a0indulge in crime themselves. A DIG is presently being charged in\u00a0courts for serious crimes. Why is it that the police officers of such\u00a0high rank are indulging in such crimes?<\/p>\n

He faults the Police Commission set up under the 17th Amendment for\u00a0undermining the authority of the IGP who is the Chief Executive. Any\u00a0organization requires to be headed by a Chief Executive. The British\u00a0established these sound principles of public administration. The\u00a0danger in a \u00a0popular democracy is that the politicians would interfere\u00a0in the running of the \u00a0administration and under the Soulbury\u00a0Constitution<\/a><\/span> the independent Public Service Commission was set up to\u00a0protect the public officials from interference from politicians in\u00a0matters of recruitment, transfers and discipline. \u00a0 The Police\u00a0Department was also under the Public Service Commission prior to 1972.<\/p>\n

The former P.S.C delegated full power to the Heads of Departments\u00a0including the IGP. They reserved to themselves only the appellate\u00a0powers and even appeals from employees or ex-employees were required\u00a0to be sent through the Head of the Department. The Head of the\u00a0Department was treated as the Chief Executive and he was answerable to\u00a0the PSC and not to any Minister regarding appointments, transfer\u00a0discipline etc. The Head of the Department was responsible for the\u00a0internal administration of the Department and no one else, not even\u00a0the Minister or the Prime Minister was expected to interfere with his\u00a0decision. He was the Accounting Officer as well recognizing the need\u00a0for total power and responsibility for the for all aspects of\u00a0administration including the financial administration of the\u00a0Department although he was required to comply with the Financial\u00a0Regulations of the Treasury which were enforced by the Permanent\u00a0Secretaries who were the Chief Accounting Officers. All these sound\u00a0principles of public administration were scuttled by the governments\u00a0after 1972. The PSC was brought under the control of the Cabinet of\u00a0Ministers and it opened the way for Ministers to interfere in\u00a0appointments, discipline etc in departments, disrupting the internal\u00a0administration of departments.<\/p>\n

The 17th Amendment<\/a><\/span> sought to rectify this situation but unfortunately\u00a0the Police were not brought under the PS.C but instead under a new\u00a0Police Commission which seems to have lost its way. The sweeping\u00a0delegation of authority and responsibility to the Heads of Departments\u00a0seems to have been abandoned. But by failing to do so the Independent\u00a0Commissions have blundered. They have undermined some fundamental\u00a0principles of public administration. According to Dr Frank De Silva\u00a0the 18th Amendment<\/a><\/span> has delegated the administrative and disciplinary\u00a0authority in respect of officers above the rank of ASPs to the\u00a0Secretary of Defence instead of the IGP as it should be. Only the\u00a0comparable powers over the subordinate officers like the Police\u00a0Constables have been left with the IGP who is \u00a0the head of the\u00a0Department. And responsible for its proper functioning. \u00a0The principle\u00a0of a unified authority and responsibility for the whole operation or\u00a0function as exemplified in the concept of a Chief Executive has been\u00a0undermined. Such division of authority and responsibility is an\u00a0administrative monstrosity not available in any country democratic or\u00a0otherwise.<\/p>\n

This splintering of authority has undermined another sacred principle\u00a0of public administration called \u201cunity of command\u201d. From the earliest\u00a0of times it has been recognized that nothing but confusion arises\u00a0under multiple command. The Bible says \u201cA man cannot serve two masters\u00a0at the same time. It has become a principle of human relations. In\u00a0administration this is called the principle of unity of command. A\u00a0worker subject to orders from several superiors will be confused,\u00a0inefficient, and irresponsible. But a workman subject to order from\u00a0one superior alone will know his instructions well enough and conform\u00a0to them. He can thereby be efficient, methodical and responsible for\u00a0his actions. Otherwise he can plead conflict of instructions when\u00a0things go wrong. Unity of command thus refers to those who are\u00a0commanded and not to those who issue the commands. But those who issue\u00a0the commands can also plead that they are not responsible if the whole\u00a0process is not under their control.<\/p>\n

The theorists of Public Administration have stressed these principles\u00a0over a long period of time and they have always characterized good\u00a0administration. So unless these principles are observed we cannot\u00a0expect police administration to improve. It is more likely to reflect\u00a0the division and lack of responsibility. Police performance cannot be\u00a0improved unless these principles are restored. There was no\u00a0centralized public administration before the British. Power was farmed\u00a0out too nobles under feudalism and each noble had his own fiefdom. But\u00a0it is not necessary that all governmental functions should be\u00a0centralized. As Dr Frank De Silva points out there were different\u00a0Police forces from 1802 -1865. In 1865 the Police Ordinance was\u00a0enacted. The British were slow to centralize realizing the strength of\u00a0local sentiment. So they continued with the system of Chieftains like\u00a0Dissaves and replaced them with Divisional Revenue officers later.<\/p>\n

Even then they drew a distinction between the Kandy and DROs and those\u00a0from the low country. This is because the bureaucracy must be\u00a0representative as well as merit based. We have to undo a lot of\u00a0administrative changes we have made to the system of Public\u00a0Administration that prevailed under the Soulbury Constitution.\u00a0Otherwise we will end up as a failed state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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