2026-03-03 / Adjournment Motion: Issues Faced by Civil Defence Personnel 2026-03-03
Hon. Roshan Akmeemana spoke in support of the proposal to second Civil Security Department (CSD) personnel to the Police and the Department of Wildlife Conservation, while urging that the process be managed carefully and humanely. He acknowledged the wartime and post-war contributions of CSD members from districts including Trincomalee, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura, but noted that many had previously been assigned undignified or unsuitable roles — including menial tasks and service on private estates — leading some to request early retirement. He called for the secondment process to include clear duty descriptions, appropriate training, dignified roles, adequate allowances, proper accommodation in barracks, and defined leave entitlements, citing past instances where personnel went 30–40 days without leave. He concluded that with proper conditions and voluntary participation through incentives, CSD personnel would be willing and effective in their seconded roles.
Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the proposal concerning secondment of CSD personnel to the Police and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
CSD members and officers from districts like Trincomalee, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura served heroically in wartime, and even after the war contributed to village work and community tasks beyond their formal duties. Yet in post-war periods, many were deployed in ways that undermined their professional dignity — taken far from their areas to perform unsuited sanitary or menial tasks, or to serve on private estates at politicians’ behest. That is why many pleaded either to be given dignified work or to be retired with benefits — not because they dislike State service, but because the roles assigned did not fit their profession.
When considering secondment to Wildlife and Police, we should proceed orderly and with incentives so they volunteer: clear duty descriptions, proper training, dignified roles and adequate allowances. Many supplement income via farming or driving three-wheelers in the evenings; moving them without support causes hardship. When seconded to Police in other provinces, ensure proper accommodation in barracks, clear leave entitlements and prompt payment — not 30–40 days without leave, as happened in the past. If we manage the change properly, they are willing to serve effectively.
Thank you.