Constitutional Council approves Priyantha Weerasooriya as 37th IGP

Wednesday, 13 August 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya

The Constitutional Council has approved President Anura Kumara Disanayake’s recommendation to appoint Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya as the 37th IGP of the country.

This decision was made when the Constitutional Council met yesterday under the chairmanship of Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.

The position of IGP became vacant following the removal of former IGP Deshabandu Thennakoon through a resolution in Parliament.

Weerasooriya is the first officer in the 158-year history of the Police service to rise from the rank of Police constable to IGP.

A law graduate from the University of Colombo, he became an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) after being sworn in as a lawyer at the Sri Lanka Law College. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management.

Remarkably, 10 IGPs have issued commendation letters in recognition of Weerasooriya’s 36 years of outstanding service in the Police Department.

Having served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) overseeing Crime and Traffic, as well as the Director of Police Logistics, Weerasooriya has participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions in East Timor and Haiti.

Before his appointment as Acting IGP, he was serving as the Senior DIG in charge of the North Central Province.