Maldives Police Service (MPS) has dismissed 3 officers and demoted 1 officer for allegedly assaulting a member of the public.
MPS stated action was taken on 4 officers by the Disciplinary Board after investigating an incident on August 5, 2019, when an individual who was brought under custody on suspicion of theft was assaulted by police officers. MPS said an internal investigation was carried out on the incident by the Professional Standard Command, and sent to the disciplinary board for action. The disciplinary board decided to dismiss 3 officers and demote 1 officer in relation to the incident.
Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed also confirmed action was taken against 4 officers following investigation of the incident. In a tweet, the police commissioner said the action demonstrates the commitment of MPS for reform, adding police reform is doable and needs to approached with civility.
In response to recent criticism aimed at the police, the commissioner noted 34% of the workforce at MPS hold academic qualifications above A-Levels, while there are about 220 officers and staff who hold postgraduate degrees. He said it is universally understood that a wide range of policing skills are best learned on the job, adding a higher academic qualification is secondary.
While the police commissioner highlighted the commitment of MPS for reform, several parliamentarians have scrutinised MPS during the deliberations on the amendment bill to the Maldives Police Act.