Politico- criminal nexus and the growth of lawlessness

In the period prior to the last presidential and general elections, lawlessness in the country had deescalated from the point at its zenith during the regimes of presidents J.R. Jayawardene and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

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In the run-up to the presidential and general election of 2024, present President Dissanayake pledged to bring to an end the rule of lawlessness of underworld figures. However, even after his election victory and the election of his National Peoples Power at the general election, there was no noticeable drop in the crime rate.

Making matters worse, in February of this year, we witnessed the stunning murder of an infamous drug lord —Ganemulla Sanjeewain the well of the Magistrate Court No. 5 at the Hulfirdorp complex.

Since then, hardly a day has gone by without news of gangland gun violence, which is widely reported widely in the media.

Most reports highlight the increase in gun violence since January this year. The Police department itself admitted so on July 14th this year. Police Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) F.U. Wootler stated 68 instances of shooting had occurred between January first and the thirteenth of July, 2025. Fifty of the incidents were linked to organised crime. Eighteen were a result of personal disputes.