This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000659
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, INL/AAE, INL
E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PREL PGOV CE OEXC
SUBJECT: Sri Lanka: FY-2005 INL project proposal --
Standardization of Training, Assignment, and Transitions
Refs: (A) State 79601
- (B) Classified e-mail INL/AAE-Colombo 4-02-03
- (C) 02 State 228302
- (D) 02 Colombo 2138
1. (U) Per Ref A, Mission's FY-2005 INL project proposal
for Sri Lanka follows in Para two. The goal of the
project is to establish a means by which Sri Lanka's
police can identify the talents of their officers and
most effectively make them operational. The paragraphs
below are keyed to the instructions in Ref A.
2. (U) BEGIN TEXT:
I -- PROGRAM SUMMARY: Sri Lankan police forces are in a
period of transition and the means by which they assign
new recruits to specific police bureaus has become
outdated. During a twenty-year conflict with the
terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the police
were often called upon to operate in a military
capacity. Training and daily operations were thus
focused on combating an armed insurgency and only a
limited number of personnel were committed to anti-crime
and counternarcotics efforts. During a recent
assessment of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB),
representatives from the International Criminal
Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) of
the Department of Justice noted that an area in which
the PNB was being hampered was its inability to identify
which officers were suited for counternarcotics work.
(Note: This PNB problem was outside of the scope of the
ongoing ICITAP project.) On review, this difficulty is
common throughout the police. The final stages of
training, the assignment process, and the means by which
officers are taken into their bureaus appear haphazard
at best. To address this issue Mission proposes the
following project.
II -- PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A - Project Title: Training: Skills Assessment and
Identification
B - Project Description: The goal of the project is to
establish a means by which Sri Lanka's police can
identify the talents of their officers during training,
assign them to bureaus suited to their strengths, and
then provide guidance on how to integrate the officers
into bureaus. The majority of the police force and the
direct political leadership of the force are aware of
the numerous difficulties the police are facing and are
eager to implement changes. Making the transition from
a counterinsurgency to a police force is proving
difficult, however, and the government is seeking
support in improving its police capabilities. The
project would proceed in three phases: first, an
assessment of the current training cycle and transition
to first assignments; second, development and
implementation of standardized procedures on how to
determine which officers are assigned where; third,
development and implementation of standardized
procedures for inprocessing of new officers into the PNB
(to include specialized training as needed).
C - Resources Requested (in 1,000's): Mission requests
USD 300 anti-crime funding for this program. The
assessment stage will be funded at USD 20. SOP on
distribution of assignments should be funded at USD 150.
Funding for the in-processing and identification of
specialized training for the PNB will be USD 130.
D - Resource Justification: Mission is addressing two
inter-related issues through this program. First, there
is a concern regarding possible transshipment of
narcotics through Sri Lanka. Mission has identified a
number of difficulties in counternarcotic efforts in Sri
Lanka and has noted ways to improve those efforts, so
that interdiction can be upgraded. In addition, while
implementing the ICITAP project mention above (see Ref
C) it became apparent that the PNB was hampered by the
haphazard assignment process and the lack of an
appropriate inprocessing procedure for its new officers.
The second aspect of the project focuses on the police
training in a broader scope. Mission relies on the host
government for cooperation in a number of cases and has
found that although the police are willing to assist,
its capabilities are sometimes limited. Some of the
limits can be traced back to the initial training and
assignment process. Paying particular attention to this
aspect of the training cycle thus enhances current
programs with the PNB (Ref C) and lays a foundation for
programs with other bureaus in the police. Working with
the PNB on the third part of the program, will enhance a
strong relationship with an organization that has
already proven itself very open to USG recommendations.
It is also a natural follow on to the management review
proposal submitted in Ref D.
E - Performance Measurements: Initial performance
measurements will rely on arrest rates and crime
statistics, including narcotics interdiction. On a
longer-term basis, the police's ability to respond
positively and in a timely manner to USG requests will
be continuously reviewed. With documented operating
procedures, Mission will also be able to review how
closely the police are following any recommendations.
F - Sustainability: Institutionalizing assignment
procedures and drafting of a standard operating
procedure will establish self-sustaining operations.
END TEXT.
3. (U) Minimized considered.
WILLS