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No shoes for police officers in Sri Lanka
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-12 14:34

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police officers regret that they have not been supplied with their quota of shoes during the past five years, a local English newspaper said on Wednesday.

The police have to perform official duties in worn out shoes and walk several miles daily in remote villages.

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They request authorities to supply them with shoes at least once a year.

Even the 10 month salary advance given to government servants has been difficult for police officers to obtain, the newspaper said.

Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera confirmed that the police officers' shoes supply is facing difficulties recently as one factory supplying shoes to the police was shut down.

Gunasekera said the police officers usually get a pair of shoes every 10 months.

He also said that there are 75,000 police officers currently on service in the country.