Police Estimate Around 1,000 Repeat Offenders Operating in Malé

The Maldives Police Service estimates that around 1,000 repeat offenders are currently operating in Malé, including individuals who have been arrested as many as 128 times. 

Speaking at a press conference held today, Superintendent of Police Abdulla Rasheed said authorities have begun targeted efforts to address repeat offending as part of broader crime prevention measures in the capital.

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Rasheed said police checked identified crime hotspots more than 280,000 times this year and dispatched officers over 18,800 times in response to emergency calls. Theft remains the most commonly reported crime in Malé, he added.

Police recorded 3,449 cases in Malé so far this year, of which 1,425 were theft-related, accounting for 41 per cent of all reported crimes. On average, police receive around four theft reports each day.

According to police data, 93 per cent of theft cases involved motorcycles and electronic items such as mobile phones. Rasheed said police prioritise the recovery of stolen motorcycles.

“So far this year, 967 motorcycles have been reported stolen, and police have recovered 865 of them,” he said.

Police estimate the value of the recovered motorcycles at approximately MVR 47 million. The total value of stolen property recovered and returned to owners this year stands at around MVR 50 million.

Rasheed noted that theft cases in Malé have declined compared with last year, continuing a downward trend seen in recent years.

Police also said the 911 call centre receives more than 1,500 calls daily, with response times ranging from two to five seconds. As part of crime prevention efforts, officers stopped and questioned 58,544 people this year, including more than 2,800 stop-and-search operations conducted across crime hotspots.