WP police special unit disbanded over SF posters

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

In an unprecedented move, the Western Provincial Special Operations Unit of the Police was dissolved with immediate effect and over 1000 police officers have been transferred out. It is learnt that this step has been taken in retaliation as O.M.C. Gemunu, OIC of the Colombo Central Division, and a group of police officers raided a press in Maradana and confiscated a stock of scurrilous (‘mud’) posters against General Sarath Fonseka during the presidential election.
Police headquarters has decided to dissolve this unit at an unofficial level, transferring the head of the unit, senior DIG Nimal Mediwaka, and its director, SP, N.C. Kudahetti. Around 1000 other police officers working in this unit have also been deployed to other police stations.
The Unit was established in 2008 on an idea mooted by the then IGP Jayantha Wickremarathna and the first head of the unit was Senior DIG Nimal Lewke.
The headquarters was situated in Malalasekara road in Colombo and it had 11 branches within the Western Province. However, even the building housing the headquarters has been given over to house the police band.