Police introduce new hotlines to report drug rackets, crimes and illegal assets

Sri Lanka Police says that two new hotlines will be introduced for the public to provide information regarding criminal activities such as drug rackets and organized crime.

Police Spokesman SSP Jaliya Senaratne said that the hotlines will be operated by a special unit at the Police Headquarters and will come into operation from tomorrow (July 28).

The public can provide the information by calling the following hotlines: 1997 & 1917

The police release states that the information provided by the general public has proved to be very important in the task of eradicating dangerous drugs, and that based on such information a number of raids have been carried out in the past on large-scale drug trafficking rackets. 

Accordingly the public can use the hotline “1997” for this purpose while it has been established at the Police Special Bureau Headquarters, which is an intelligence division of the Sri Lanka Police.

Information regarding the following matters can be provided to the “1997” hotline:

1. Information regarding dangerous drugs.

2. Information on activities that could pose a threat to national security.

3. Information on activities that could disturb public peace.

4. Information on large-scale corruption.

5. Information on organized criminal gangs and their activities.

6. Other special information. 

The statement further says that a new unit has been established under the purview of the DIG of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate into the assets illegally earned by criminal gang members and drug traffickers while the information provided by the public for these investigations is imperative.

Therefore the hotline “1917” has been established for the public to provide any information regarding the illegal assets such as money, properties, bank accounts and vehicles of criminal gang members and drug traffickers.

The two hotlines will come into operation from tomorrow (July 28).