The Police Department has commenced charging fees for providing security at commercial events, following a directive issued by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya.
Police Spokesman Minura Senarath told the Sunday Times that the decision was taken to recover costs incurred by the department. He explained that the funds collected would be used to cover overtime and “batta” payments for officers assigned to commercial events.
According to Mr. Senarath, a circular had previously been issued by the department, and the IGP has now instructed that charges be formally collected in line with that directive.
However, he noted that for events that are open to the public free of charge, the police would continue to provide security services without imposing any fees.
In one of the initial implementations of this policy, the police have sought a monthly payment from the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), one of the country’s leading venues for public and private functions. The BMICH has been asked to pay Rs. 3.2 million monthly, taking into account the deployment of 262 police personnel on duty at the premises each day.
A permanent police station operates within the BMICH premises, established in 2003 to provide security for public and private events attended by VVIPs, foreign dignitaries, diplomats, and other high-profile individuals.
Police services provided for the recently concluded Colombo International Book Fair were reportedly withdrawn abruptly after neither the BMICH management nor the event organisers made the required payments. Consequently, a large portion of the exhibition proceeded without police security, despite the attendance of VVIPs among an estimated 1.5 million visitors.
Meanwhile, the pro-government Inter Company Employees Union has written to Cultural Affairs Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, calling for an investigation into the sudden withdrawal of police security at the event. The letter, sent on Thursday, questioned the withdrawal of a police contingent comprising 56 officers led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
The union further noted that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and several ministers attended the book exhibition and raised concerns that the withdrawal of security may have been part of a conspiracy.
