Sri Lanka, Aug. 25 -- The authority to appoint and transfer Officers-in-Charge (OICs) of Police stations, which had previously been vested in the National Police Commission (NPC), has now been officially restored to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPC announced.

The NPC confirmed that a formal directive to this effect was sent to the IGP on August 23.

For several years, these powers were exercised by the NPC, leaving the IGP unable to swiftly transfer or remove OICs even in cases of inefficiency, corruption, or misconduct. Senior Police officials had repeatedly raised concerns that this arrangement severely hampered effective policing and administration.

An NPC official explained that under the revised arrangement, the IGP c...