The Maldives Border Security Symposium has concluded with the participation of all border security stakeholders working to protect the borders of the country.
The national symposium is the first of its kind in the Maldives and was held from October 25-26. The two-day symposium was conducted in collaboration with the Maldives Immigration, Maldives Customs Service, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Maldives Police Service (MPS), and the Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM) for mutual facilitation and strengthening cooperation. Additionally, officials from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) were present at the symposium.
Speaking to the media after the opening ceremony, Controller General (CG) at Immigration Mohamed Ahmed Hussain (Hanafy) said the main objective of the symposium was to identify the existing issues in the field of border security and bring the relevant agencies together to hold meetings. He said border security has been established in the country with the participation of four agencies. Therefore, he said the symposium is a way to bring the agencies together to discuss security issues.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the seminar, Deputy Minister of Defence Hassan Zameel said there will always be room for improvement, practical evaluation, and changes needed to achieve objectives at a national level. He said the first draft of the Border Security Strategy has already been prepared and said it will be completed after the discussions at the symposium.
Maldives Immigration revealed that the number of crimes committed at the borders of countries has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.