# Ministry of Public Security (Sri Lanka)

The Ministry of Public Security (Sinhala: මහජන ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශය Mahajana Arakshaka Amathyanshaya; Tamil: பொதுமக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சு) is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for law and order. The ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on law and order and other subjects which come under its purview. The ministry manages the country's police. The current Minister of Public Security is Vijitha Herath. The ministry's secretary is Ravi Seneviratne.

## History

Since independence in 1948 the Sri Lankan police had come under the Ministry of Defence. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission had recommended that policing be transferred to a separate ministry. The Ministry of Law and Order was established on 16 August 2013 to manage policing in the country.

## Ministers

The Minister of Public Security is a member of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka.
Ministers of Law and Order :
| Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Head of government | Ministerial title |
| Mahinda Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 26 August 2013 | 8 January 2015 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Law and Order |
| John Amaratunga | United National Party | 12 January 2015 | 22 March 2015 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Public Order, Disaster Management and Christian Affairs |
| John Amaratunga | United National Party | 22 March 2015 | 17 August 2015 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs |
| Tilak Marapana | United National Party | 4 September 2015 | 9 November 2015 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Law and Order and Prison Reforms |
| Sagala Ratnayaka | United National Party | 11 November 2015 | 25 February 2018 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development |
| Ranil Wickremesinghe | United National Party | 25 February 2018 | 8 March 2018 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Law and Order |
| Ranjith Madduma Bandara | United National Party | 8 March 2018 | 18 November 2019 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Law and Order |
| Janaka Bandara Tennakoon | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 22 November 2019 | 12 August 2020 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government |
| Sarath Weerasekara | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 26 November 2020 | 18 April 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Public Security |
| Prasanna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 18 April 2022 | 9 May 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Public Security and Tourism |
| Tiran Alles | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 20 May 2022 | 24 September 2024 | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Minister of Public Security |
| Vijitha Herath | National People's Power | 24 September 2024 | 18 November 2024 | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Minister of Public Security |
| Ananda Wijepala | National People's Power | 18 November 2024 | Incumbent | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs |

## Secretaries

Law and Order Secretaries :
| Name | Took office | Title |
| Nanda Mallawaarachchi | 19 August 2013 | Law and Order Secretary |
| Mahinda Balasuriya | 20 October 2014 | Law and Order Secretary |
| T. M. K. B. Tennakoon | 19 January 2015 | Public Order, Disaster Management and Christian Affairs Secretary |
| Jagath Wijeweera | 8 September 2015 | Law and Order and Prison Reforms Secretary |
| Jagath Wijeweera | 19 November 2015 | Law and Order and Southern Development Secretary |