Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya has launched a special programme to identify police officers who have accumulated assets beyond their known income.

The programme will also target senior officers who have close connections with drug traffickers and the criminal underworld.

The initiative will focus on senior officers, from Chief Inspectors up to the rank of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police.

According to police headquarters, officers identified under this programme will be reported to the Bribery Commission and investigated by the Illegal Assets Investigation Division.

Sources say a number of senior police officers have amassed significant assets, including hotels, far beyond their official salaries.

Several such officers, including some senior DIGs, are already under investigation by the Bribery Commission.

Investigations are also underway into several senior officers who became millionaires after retiring from the police force.