Working to professionalize the police service: CP Hameed

Authorities are working to professionalize the police service, says Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed.

Taking to Twitter after an incident in Maafushi island of Kaafu atoll where officers of the Maldives Police Service restrained a female tourist using excessive force, the Police Commissioner stated that this “seems to be” badly handled.

Hameed went on to apologize to the tourist who was taken into police custody, as well as the public.

Further, he wrote that a professionalizing the police service is a challenge he has taken up, and that the authorities are “working on that”.

The case is currently under police investigation.

RaajjeMV understands that the police received the report of a woman, possibly intoxicated, and was arrested a little past 5pm on Thursday. She was released a little past 7pm on Thursday.

The woman in question, was wearing a bikini and drew criticism from locals on the streets at the time. Some social media users have claimed that she was “harassed by the public” and “manhandled” by officers who took her under their custody.

A video clip has since gone viral on Twitter, which shows officers manhandling the woman, who was seen to be resisting the officers, and police revealed that she had in fact, “disobeyed orders”.

Police has since revealed that she was taken into police custody in cuffs and that they suspect her to be under the influence of alcohol.

It has been revealed that there are no female officers stationed in Maafushi island currently.

Police revealed that their Professional Standards Command is currently investigating the matter and that the service “does not” believe this was done in the most professional way.

Although Maafushi is a popular tourist spot for local island tourism, wearing bikinis is strictly prohibited in local islands and capital city Malé, however, it is allowed in local resorts.