The bleary-eyed policeman on duty at the reserve of the Dehiwala police station blinked as a man casually attired in a T-shirt and trousers approached him gingerly.

The cop peeked at the wall clock. It was 10.30 pm.

What on earth did this bloke want at this time of the night?, he wondered to himself.

"What's it?", the policeman barked.

"I lost my National Identity Card and want to make a police complaint", the nocturnal visitor said softly.

The cop gritted his teeth. A complaint about an identity card gone missing at this time of the night? This man must be crazy to disturb a police officer for such a "frivolous" matter especially when he is relaxing….

"Come tomorrow", the irate cop snapped.

"…But it's important. Without my ID I could fall into trouble with the police…", the visitor persisted.

The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and other rank and file were also in the station but nobody was interested in logging a public complaint about a lost ID.

"I asked you to come tomorrow!", the infuriated cop thundered. "This is not the time to make such a complaint…"

"Can I meet the OIC?, please", the man pleaded.

"OIC…? What for? I asked you to come tomorrow…", he hissed.

At this point, the OIC had come towards the reserve.

Yes?", he queries. "What's it that you want?"

"…I lost my ID…"

"What's your name?

"Edison Gunatilleka…."

The OIC stiffens and takes a closer look at the stranger.

"You recognize me? I am the new Senior Superintendent of Police of the Mt. Lavinia division".

"I am sorry, Sir", the OIC stammers. "I could not……….."

"This shows the sad state of affairs at some police stations in Sri Lanka after dusk", SSP Gunatilleka told the Sunday Island. "They are just not bothered".

"I had a class for all OICs of the division in the morning and the Dehiwala OIC could not recognize me in the evening", he said.

"I reprimanded the OIC".

A member of the public has a right to make a complaint at a police station at any time of the day or night, SSP Gunatilleka explained. "But they asked me to come tomorrow".

"I don't use my official vehicle for such surprise visits which certainly take these policemen unawares, he said. "I hire a three-wheeler or use some other vehicle as I want to take on them when they least expect it".

SSP Gunatilleka said that he paid a similar unannounced visit to a police guardroom at Ratmalana last week but found everything in order.

"I checked on the night patrol also but found that it was out", he said. "Perhaps, now they know it is not easy to relax on duty with me around".

SSP Gunatilleka, a widely respected police officer, was moved from the Trincomalee range to the Mt. Lavinia division following the transfer of SSP Willie Abeynayake after the Ratmalana claymore mine blast.

SSP Abeynayake was sent to the police headquarters based Physical Assets Management (PAM) in what was described as a "punishment transfer".