Malé, Maldives – Maldives Police Service has started to follow the newly amended Police Service Act.
While the newly amended act was ratified by the president on December 27, 2020, implementation of it began three months after the ratification on March 26, 2021.
According to the new amendment, the Maldives Police Service is a civil security service which is outside of the Maldivian Civil Service. The amendment also removes police from jurisdiction of the employment act and mandates a more decentralized mechanism of providing the policing services in the Maldives while its organized on a central level.
In addition to establishing the fundamental principles, guidelines, roles and other aspects concerning police officers, the Act mandates all officers to ensure the safety of the public without discrimination or influence, in accordance with human rights best practices. The Act also promotes professional standards and aims to establish community-based policing services under a decentralised system.
Furthermore, the Act calls for the formation of the Police Board, which is tasked with overseeing and making decisions pertaining to police matters, within 14 days of ratification. The board of 7 members will be comprised of 2 members appointment by the President, 3 people with education and experience in a certain sector as well as two elected locals from the public.
While the parliament also included an amendment that stipulates the Police Board to reappoint all officers above the rank of superintendent with the exception of the Commissioner of Police, incumbent officers will maintain their positions until these efforts are complete. With the new Act, the current ‘Maldives Police Service’ established under the Police Act will also be renamed as ‘Dhivehi Fuluhunge Khidhumaiy’. However, the institution will continue to be referred as Maldives Police Service in English.
