Gov’t to Introduce Drone First Responders for Police Emergency Operations
Minister of Homeland Security, Labor and Technology Ali Ihusaan during his speech last night at a ceremony held to celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the Maldives Police Service.
The government has announced plans to introduce a drone-first responder system for the Maldives Police Service (MPS), aimed at improving emergency response by enabling rapid on-scene visual assessment before officers arrive.
The initiative, outlined by Minister of Homeland Security, Labor and Technology Ali Ihusaan last night at a ceremony held to celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the Maldives Police Service, is intended to strengthen operational readiness by providing real-time situational awareness to the Police Command Centre during emergencies.
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The minister said the capability would be particularly valuable in incidents requiring officers to travel between islands. In such cases, drones could be deployed ahead of police teams to assess the situation, allowing officers to make more informed operational decisions and maximise their preparedness before arriving at the scene.
To strengthen the Police Command Centre’s 911 emergency response service, the government also plans to introduce next-generation call handling technology. The upgraded system will enable emergency operators to instantly identify the caller’s location and provide responding officers with access to nearby surveillance camera feeds, allowing them to view conditions around the incident while en route.
Ihusaan said the government has already begun practical work on developing a state-of-the-art data centre to support these new digital capabilities and future policing technologies.
Alongside the technology upgrades, the minister outlined several operational priorities for the coming year, including special operations targeting expatriates engaged in illegal business activities and efforts to locate and deport around 2,000 undocumented expatriates believed to be unaccounted for.
He also said the coming year would see an increased visible police presence on the streets, supported by advanced technology to enhance patrol operations and public safety.
Ihusaan emphasised that public trust remains central to law enforcement, describing it as the most important asset of the institution.
