Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated the Maldives Police Service (MPS) does not discriminate when publicising criminal records. The home minister made the statement in response to Parliamentarian Meekail Ahmed Naseem, who asked why the MPS was inconsistent when publicising the records of individuals suspected of major crimes.
Minister Imran said the MPS abides by the same policy when publicising criminal records, which takes into account the seriousness of the allegations and checking whether the suspect's criminal record is related to the allegations. He said the MPS also checks whether the suspect has a history of repeat offenses and whether the suspect's criminal record and allegations are connected to public safety. The MPS will also take into account whether publicising certain information on the suspect would hinder the investigation, he added.
Parliamentarian Meekail also questioned the home minister on the conduct of the police officers when breaking up a rally on May 1 which was organised to protest against sexual harassment. The parliamentarian asked if the police officers who had been active in the area were properly trained and whether they had their service numbers visible.
Minister Imran said the uniform of the officers at the rally was in accordance with the regulations, adding the police disciplinary board has investigated the police conduct at the rally and will be announcing its decision soon. The home minister detailed that the officers who took part in controlling the rally were part of the Quick Reaction Team and 8 of the 10 officers had completed the public order training, while the other two were an experienced team leader and an officer who had yet to complete the recruit training course.
MPS has faced criticism for its conduct in breaking up the May 1 rally, after photos showing officers using excessive force were circulated on social media. MPS has said its professional standards command and the use of force review command has been investigating the incident, and the officers accused of excessive use of force have been removed from frontline policing.