Law enforcement in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

falls under the jurisdiction of the

Sri Lanka Police (The one who lives by the Dhamma is protected by the Dhamma itself) , mission = , formedyear = , preceding1 = Ceylon Police Force (1866–1972) , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = ...

, the national

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

along with local community police and

Grama Niladhari ''Grama Niladhari'' (''village officers'') ( si, ග්‍රාම නිලධාරී) is a Sri Lankan public official appointed by the central government to carry out administrative duties in a ''grama niladhari'' division, which is a sub-un ...

. Moreover, the Sri Lanka Police includes several specialized agencies. The

Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...

(CID) is a national unit tasked with investigations of serious crimes. The Special Task Force is reproducible for

Counter-Terrorist Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

and

Counter-Insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

operations. Other include the Traffic Police, Police Narcotic Bureau, Security Council under DIG Valentine S. Vamadevan and the Children & Women Bureau created in 1979. Limited law enforcement authority is also given to other departments of the government for specific reasons. The

Sri Lanka Customs Sri Lanka Customs ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා රේගුව, Shri Lanka Reguwa, ta, இலங்கை சுங்கச் சாவடி ) is a non-ministerial government department. The main functions of the department are, * Co ...

and Department of Excise have certain police powers within ports, airports and other

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

and

excise file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

related matters. The

Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anothe ...

(CIABOC), commonly referred to as the ''Bribery Commission'' has powers to arrest persons suspected of bribery or corruption. The Department of Coast Guard has law enforcement powers in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. The military has police powers limited to military personnel, mainly for internal investigation and guarding military facilities.

History

Since ancient times judicial and law enforcement duties were carried out in local kingdoms in the Sri Lanka by officials appointed to administrate provinces or districts. These officers include officers such as

Dissava The Mahâ Dissâvas was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time it had combined legislative and judicial ...

s and continued until the closure of the Native Department in the 1930s. Modern policing was introduced to the island by the British in 1797 with the appointment of a

Fiscal Fiscal usually refers to government finance. In this context, it may refer to: Economics * Fiscal policy, use of government expenditure to influence economic development * Fiscal policy debate * Fiscal adjustment, a reduction in the government ...

for the town of Colombo. Being a garrison town and a military fort, a

Town Major A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

oversaw policing and patrolling in and out of the town.

Specialized agencies of the Sri Lanka Police

(CID) * Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) * Colombo Crime Division (CCD) *Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) * Special Task Force (STF) *Police Narcotic Bureau *Children & Women Bureau *Marine Division *Mounted Division *Traffic Police *Tourist Police *Police Kennels (K9 units) *Judicial Security Division *Diplomatic Security Division

Other agencies

(in

Customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

related matters) *

Department of Prisons The Department of Prisons ( Sinhala: බන්ධනාගාර දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Bandhanagara Departhamenthuwa'') is a department of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of ...

* Department of Coast Guard (in Sri Lankan territorial waters) *

(in bribery or corruption related matters) * Department of Immigration and Emigration (in Immigration and Emigration related matters) *

Department of Forest Conservation The Department of Forest Conservation ( Sinhala: වන සංරක්‍ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Vana Sanrakshana Departhamenthuwa'') is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Sri Lanka. Its ...

(within protected forest areas) *

Department of Wildlife Conservation The Department of Wildlife Conservation ( Sinhala: වනජීවී සංරක්‍ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Vanajivi Sanrakshana Departhamenthuwa'') is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka. It is th ...

(within national parks) * {{Law-enforcement-stub