Background
The skills and ethos of Police Scotland are highly regarded and rightly sought after. They are an outstanding service and it’s right that their skills and knowledge should be shared with others, especially those lands less fortunate. Work with international partners towards attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, tackling injustice, poverty and equality is admirable. It’s not profit led and helps Scottish officers gain experience and meet with colleagues in other lands.
It’s for that reason that the service has an International Development Unit. Deployment and engagement have been ongoing over many years with numerous countries. Recently refurbished premises at Tulliallan were opened officially by the First Minister a few weeks ago.
A traffic light system is operated for international engagement whereby green list countries are signed off by the Unit, Amber by a senior officer and Red requiring Ministerial advice.
Sri Lanka involvement
Police Scotland have been involved in training programmes with Sri Lankan forces since 2009 and in the last 8 years Police Scotland has made about 100 deployments to Sri Lanka to train their forces. They were initially asked to go in after the ending of the civil war and have assisted in a variety of ways since then.
The most recent contract has been in assisting them address gender-based violence. That has largely been online and through the development of courses that seek to advise of good practice in that area of policing. There’s no suggestion of anything untoward and indeed to the contrary it’s been welcomed by some NGO’s.
Changing situation in Sri Lanka
However, the political situation in Sri Lanka has changed since about 2015 and since 2019 has deteriorated quickly. Under Sri Lankas current government there has been a considerable change to policing and clear violations of human rights, including police brutality.
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITPJ) has been calling for the UK to assess its training program with Sri Lankan police since 2016.
2021 saw Sri Lankan police being implicated in several unlawful deaths. Covid 19 quarantine and restrictions have been brutally enforced by the police with people receiving beatings for alleged breaches.
Several people have died whilst in police custody, two of which were allegedly involved in organised crime, their lawyers, family and others fore warned Sri Lankan police and other authority figures that they believed the men to be in danger. Police have been accused of planting drugs, torture and invasive body searches performed on female suspects.
The executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has condemned the actions of police brutality and deaths within custody. BASL has called upon the state to protect all persons within their custody. The executive Committee of the BASL has ‘expressed grave and serious concerns and condemns the failure of police to protect person in their custody’.
BASL further commented “that the use of force should not be used under any circumstances except as provided for by law” and “Incidents of the use of force by certain Police Officers which have been highlighted both in the media and on social media just in the current year alone appeared to show a disturbing trend”.
Issue for Police Scotland
There’s no suggestion that what Police Scotland provide to Sri Lanka is in itself unacceptable. The work is specific and those being trained are being given skills which will be beneficial to the country.
However, the Sri Lankan authorities are using Police Scotland as cover to deny repression and breaches of human rights. Deputy Inspector General of the Sri Lankan Police replied to the UN Committee Against Torture stating that Sri Lankan police worked in “collaboration with the Scottish Police college since 2011” with “about 600 police officers of the inspectorate and the above ranks including CID, TID and other investigative bureaus of Sri Lanka police have attended the programme”.
Meenakshi Ganguly South Asia director at Human Rights Watch stated, “the UN, UK, and others working with Sri Lankan law enforcement should recognize that without the political will to reform on Sri Lanka’s part, their engagement risks appearing to endorse abusive agencies.”
The Sri Lankan Tamil and Muslim minority face persecution from the forces at a much higher rate than the majority of citizens. Tamil journalists face increasing harassment and intimidation. Reporters Without Borders have called out Sri Lanka’s President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, for his role in the abduction of journalists and members of the press and labelled him a “predator of press freedom”.
Changing Lines
There are many changing lines being issued by police Scotland, from one of ignorance to declaring that all Police Scotland activities with Sri Lanka had been put on hold in May. Sunday Times Sri Lanka, reports that the Colombo government were not informed by Police Scotland that they were suspending training to Sri Lankan police. Whilst a statement issued in July from Police Scotland stated that they were halfway through a training program with Sri Lankan police which was funded by the British High Commission in Colombo.
Police Scotland International Academy opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – Police Scotland
Solution
There’s no doubt that the work of Police Scotland’s International development unit should continue. But engagement with Sri Lanka should cease until such time as its government adheres to international human rights and ceases its abuses.
Police Scotland’s position on its current involvement seems to have changed over recent months with there now being a suggestion that its ceased. However, the solution is for Sri Lanka to be classified as a Red List country and for the Scottish Government to direct that involvement should cease. This cannot be condoned by the Scottish Government and they should ensure that neither Police Scotland nor any other governmental agency is currently legitimising Sri Lankas human rights abuses.
A very good article Roddy.
One thing though that I would disagree with you on is the comment that Police Scotland are an outstanding service.
Yes it may be true that many officers are highly skilled. But in the light of recent events Police Scotland has shown itself to be less than an outstanding service. Politically malign the police have shown themselves to be corrupt, vexatious, and utterly selective in how and who they pursue, or don’t pursue.
And it’s not just the high profile. It’s also the myriad examples of coming down hard on people who had allegedly infringed covid restrictions going for a walk in the country or being suspected of having an extra individual in the family home whilst people like the Prime Minister can visit a the height of the restrictions and go round Scotland on a publicity tour. Or on the other hand do we remember the evil odious enemy of the public in the much liked Margaret Ferrier MP who was arrested and charged by Police Scotland many weeks after the Metropolitan Police had said no case to purse for travelling home after having received a covid positive test result. Haven’t heard much of Margaret recently but she was facing charges that could occasion two years in jail for going home whilst Johnson ( and indeed two Sturgeons) had no case to answer.
So no Roddy, like many many other people I most certainly do not see Police Scotland as an outstanding service. It is rotten and corrupt.
And moreover, quite why it is acting like a paid mercenary – privateer selling services to foreign regimes is another question that I have. The name Police Scotland should gives its purpose away as a Scottish Police Service.
Otherwise, many thanks for a most interesting article. These are the informative type of articles we need in the public forum. Most ordinary folks will have no idea that their so called Police Force is selling their services around the globe.
Sorry the article did not make it clear This was the background to the Press Release not my article.
No apology needed Roddy.
Informative articles always enlighten, develop awareness and engage much needed constructive debate. And without a scintilla of hyperbole maybe it’s time the activities of Police Scotland were investigated by an international police force of good standing and repute.
Ditto our absolutely rotten Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service.
Well said, Willie.
I agree Willie and Gayle