US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO659

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 - Exchanges 
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outdated.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