Deshabandu Thennakoon assumes duties as Acting IGP

Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon who was appointed as the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), assumed duties in the office this morning. 

The President appointed Thennakoon as the acting IGP for a three-month period yesterday. 

Born in 1971, Tennakoon received his school education from Nalanda College in Colombo. He is an alumnus of Colombo University and Kelaniya University where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively. Deshbandu Tennakone, who was the Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province, the most challenging police administrative area of Sri Lanka, joined the police service on 23.02.1998.

Thennakoon, who joined the police service as an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was in charge of various districts in the island, and in 2006, he was promoted to the position of Superintendent of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in 2011, and Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police in 2015. He was promoted to the position of Senior DIG on 20.11.2019 and functioned as the Senior DIG in the Western Province until he was appointed as the acting IGP.

During his 25 years of service in Sri Lanka Police, Tennakoon has served in multiple areas of the country. He has rendered notable service to crack down on crimes and narcotics and implement a number of programs in the Western Province to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic situation.

Meanwhile, President Ranil Wickramasinghe has informed the Constitutional Council about Tennakone's appointment as the Acting IGP. 

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that he received the name of the Acting IGP yesterday afternoon. Consequently, the Speaker said that the Constitutional Council is expected to convene soon to make a decision on the appointment.