Police Dept. Spl. branch to probe perpetrators of crimes involving children
The Presidential Advisory Committee on child abuse has proposed to the Ministry of Law and Order that a special branch in the Police Department headed by a DIG be set up to probe and prosecute independently the perpetrators of crimes involving children, Daily Mirror learns.
This follows President Maithripala Sirisena’s new initiative to minimise crimes involving children following the dastardly acts of rape and murder of fiveyear-old Seya Sadewmi in Kotadeniyawa last month and the gang rape and murder of seventeen-year-old Vithya Sivaloganathan from Kayts, Jaffna in May 13, a source familiar with the advisory committee proceedings told Daily Mirror on condition of anonymity.
“The Committee has suggested assigning the task of investigations on a crime involving rape, serious injuries, abuse and rape and murder on children to this special branch without The task of investigations on a crime involving rape, serious injuries, abuse and rape and murder on children to this special branch without the involvement of the local police station the i nvolvement of t he local police station and the investigation team will report to the DIG directly,” the sources added.
The Committee has also suggested a special arrangement to be adopted when children are taken into custody for any crime in order to protect their privacy and dignity.
“A child is not treated as a crime suspect in other countries if and when he or she is involved in a serious nature of law breaking. In the similar manner, we have suggested to keep children separated from other suspects when arrested and not to identify them with their personal particulars. The name of the child suspect will be disclosed only to the Court and the media will be prevented from publishing information on a child suspect in a case,” she further said.
In most cases of crime involving children, t he convicts will be referred to counselling and rehabilitation and of course will be separated from other convicts, she added.
She said the reason for the investigation on a crime of a rape, rape and murder and serious physical and mental abuse of children by a special branch of police was that it is possible the local police have links to the suspects of victims. It is natural that the political influence also exerted on behalf of victims or suspects if and when inquiries are carried out by the local police, she stressed.
These proposals will be further discussed at the Committee and submitted to the government as recommendations with amendments if necessary for the relevant authorities to incorporate them in the statute book, she said.