Sri Lanka, Jan. 31 -- The police have introduced the short telephone number "1997" to allow the public to report criminals, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities anonymously, addressing concerns that informants' identities are leaked to offenders.

The main operations room for the hotline is based at the Special Bureau Headquarters on Malalasekara Mawatha, Colombo 07, under the Police Headquarters. The Acting IGP has instructed all officers to ensure complete confidentiality regarding information received through this service, the Police Media Division stated.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hiru News....