Sri Lankan Home Guard
| Civil Security Department සිවිල් අාරක්ෂක බලකාය இலங்கை சிவில் பாதுகாப்பு |
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|---|---|
| Active | January 1, 1986 - Present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Type | Militia |
| Role | Civil Defence |
| Size | 39,800 |
| Part of | Ministry of Defence |
| Motto(s) | Protect the Nation with Self-Sacrifice |
| Engagements | Sri Lankan Civil War, Sri Lankan Humanitarian Operation Against LTTE |
| Website | www |
The Sri Lanka Civil Security Force (Tamil: இலங்கை சிவில் பாதுகாப்பு) (also known as the Civil Defence Force, originally the National Home Guard Service) is a paramilitary force which is tasked as an auxiliary to the Sri Lanka Police. It is directed by the Civil Security Department.
The activities relating to the Home Guard Service were established under the Mobilization of Supplementary Force Act No. 40 of 1985. The local home guards came under the command of the local police. They are all volunteers deployed in their home towns and villages, to protect the civilian population from attacks by the LTTE. With the establishment of Civil Security Department, the Home Guards were re-designated as the Civil Security Force and came under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. The force is distinct from the Sri Lanka National Guard, which is a volunteer reserve regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.
The current Director General of the Civil Security Department is Mr Chandrarathne Pallegama (MA, BSc(Hons), PgD, JP(All-Island), FCPM, MAAT(SL))
The functions to be performed by Home Guards are listed below:
Following the start of Sri Lankan civil war many villages were attacked by LTTE which resulted in the deaths of many civilians. Due to these attacks the villagers began to organize themselves to protect themselves. The original Home Guards were local volunteers, who were initially armed with shotguns by the government to protect themselves. National Home Guard Service was established as a Voluntary Service in the mid 1980s to protect the border/ threatened villages. They were issued with 12 bore shot guns and brown coloured uniforms. No allowances were paid, but some rations were issued through co-operative outlets. Subsequently, they were paid a daily allowance and placed under the Police Department. Training was carried out at Kumbuka camp, Horana
In 1986 the Home Guard Service was created by the then Minister of National Security the late Hon. Lalith Athulathmudali with a strength of about 5000 personnel. They were issued uniforms and weapons (mostly shotguns) and were under the command of the local Sri Lankan Police units. In 1988 female guardswomen were joined to the force. Since 1993 they have been issued with automatic rifles. In April 2006 the Home Guard was renamed as the Civil Defence Force followed by the establishment of the Department of Civil Security on 1 January 2007. Since its consumption its members have been deployed outside their home villages to maintain public security even in Colombo.
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Wikipedia