Santiago Wilson Osmund De Silva (25 December 1909 - c. 1980) was Ceylonese police officer. He was the thirteenth and the first Ceylonese career police officer to become

Inspector-General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

(1955–1959).

Early life and education

Santiago Wilson Osmund De Silva was born on 25 December 1909 the son of Mudliyar Thomas de Silva, founding principal of

Dharmasoka College Dharmasoka College is a coed school in Sri Lanka. The college was established in 1913. It was supported by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, and accordingly is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools. It provides ...

. He was educated at

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

and

University College, Colombo Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of Lo ...

Police career

De Silva joined the

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

as an

Probationary Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

Assistant Superintendent of Police Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a rank that was used by police forces in the British Empire and is still used in many police forces in the Commonwealth. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held ...

on appointment by the Governor in December 1931. Following the completion of his service examinations, he was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Police of

Avissawella Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township in Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council, situated on the A4 route from Colombo to Ratnapura, Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka ...

in December 1933 and went on to serve in Sabaragamuwa and again in Avissawella before attending the senior police officers course at the Metropolitan Police in 1936. On his return he served as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Kurunegala, Kegalle, Police Training School. In May 1943, he was promoted to

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories ...

and served in the Southern Proving, Police Training School, Northern Province, North-Western Province, Central Province. He was promoted Acting

Deputy Inspector General of Police A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank ...

(DIG) in 1949 serving as DIG Administration, DIG Range II; during which time he served as the Superintendent of Police, Police Headquarters. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in '' The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The re ...

and Officer (OBE) in the 1954 Birthday Honours. He had been awarded the

Ceylon Police Medal for Meritorious Service The Ceylon Police Medal was awarded to police officers of the Ceylon Police Force, with two versions: for gallantry and for meritorious service. The number of medals for meritorious service was limited to a maximum of ten a year. The medals were ...

, Defence Medal 1939-45, Ceylon Police Independence Medal and the

Service Medal of the Order of St John The Service Medal of the Order of St John is awarded to recognise both conspicuous and long service with the Venerable Order of St John, particularly in St John Ambulance, both in the United Kingdom and in a number of other Commonwealth countri ...

Inspector General of Police

In 1955 de Silva succeeded his father-in-law, Sir Richard Aluwihare to be appointed as Inspector General of Police (IGP). He became the first IGP appointed from within the police force and the first Buddhist. De Silva was responsible for introducing

community policing Community policing, or community-oriented policing (COP), is a strategy of policing that focuses on developing relationships with community members. It is a philosophy of full-service policing that is highly personal, where an officer patrols ...

to the country, a vision that was not shared by his successors. In 1959 the

Prime Minister of Ceylon The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, w ...

, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike requested that the police intervene against trade union action occurring at

Colombo Harbour The Port of Colombo (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as an i ...

. De Silva declined to do the Prime Minister’s bidding on the basis that he believed the request was unlawful. On 24 April 1959, de Silva was compulsorily retired from the police force and M. Walter F. Abeykoon, a civil servant, was appointed in his place.

Family

In 1941, he married Ena Aluvihare, the nineteen year old daughter of the civil servant

Richard Aluwihare Sir Richard Aluwihare, (23 May 1895 – 22 December 1976) was a Sri Lankan civil servant. He was the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police and Ceylon's High Commissioner to India. Early life and education Richard Aluwihare was born on ...

, who would become the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police in 1947.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Silva, Osmund Sri Lankan Inspectors General of Police Sri Lankan Buddhists Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Alumni of the Ceylon University College People of British Ceylon Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1909 births 1980 deaths

Osmund Osmund (Latin ''Osmundus'') is a Germanic name composed of the word ''Os'' meaning "god" and ''mund'' meaning "protection." Osmund or Osmond may refer to: Pre-modern era :''Ordered chronologically'' * Osmund of Sussex (), a king of Sussex * Osm ...