28,000 vacancies in Sri Lankan police, recruitment underway

COLOMBO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's police currently faces a shortage of 28,000 officers and recruitment is underway, said a minister on Tuesday.

Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala told parliament that the government has already issued an official gazette notification to recruit 5000 policemen.

He added that 5,000 lower-ranking officers will also be promoted in the near future.

Earlier, the government announced plans to recruit a total of 10,000 new police officers to bolster efforts aimed at reducing road accidents and conducting anti-crime and anti-drug operations.

In January, police spokesman K.B. Manathunga said the police force stood at around 75,000 personnel, an insufficient number to effectively implement the government's new initiatives. Enditem