File photograph.
Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala announced this week that the government is set to recruit 5,000 new police personnel, despite ongoing criticism of the state’s expansive and militarised security infrastructure across the island, particularly in the Tamil homeland.
Speaking in parliament on 8 July 2025, Wijepala claimed there was a shortage of 28,000 officers in the police force and that the recruitment drive is now underway. “We are already receiving applications for the sub-inspector and constable posts,” he said.
An official advertisement for the positions promises a monthly salary of Rs. 91,630 for sub-inspectors. Applicants are required to be between the ages of 18 and 26 and must have passed the GCE Ordinary Level examination.
Wijepala further added that promotions within the police service will also be expedited.
This latest announcement comes despite ongoing concerns from Tamil organisations and human rights observers, who have consistently flagged the role of Sri Lanka’s police and security forces in systemic abuses, including torture, arbitrary arrests, and surveillance, particularly under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
In the North-East, where a heavy military and police presence persists more than 16 years after the end of the armed conflict, Tamils have long warned of the deepening militarisation and control over civilian life.
Rights groups have repeatedly called for the demilitarisation of the Tamil homeland. However, successive governments have instead expanded the reach of the military and police. The Sri Lankan security forces also still occupy large tracts of land, including places of worship, schools, and cemeteries across the North-East.