Sri Lanka, Aug. 14 -- Senior Superintendent of Police (Retd.)

Former Deputy Director in Charge, Counter-Terrorism Desk, State Intelligence Service (2005-2009)

The recent arrest of a 53-year-old prison officer for allegedly supplying narcotics worth more than Rs.700,000 to an inmate at Colombo's Magazine Prison has raised an uncomfortable question: how much of the threat inside heavily guarded institutions comes from the very people entrusted with keeping it out?

The case comes amid continuing disorder in Sri Lankan prisons. The July unrest at Negombo Prison alone caused damage estimated at more than Rs.100 million. Violence, organised criminal activity and intelligence failures have also been reported at Mahara, Magazine and other...