Police Had 4,000 Interactions with 46 Notorious Thieves in Male’

Over the past six months, law enforcement in Male’ has recorded 4,000 interactions with 46 notorious thieves, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan revealed today.

During his comments to the parliament’s National Security Committee, Ihusaan outlined the significant challenges police face in detaining and rehabilitating repeat offenders. These interactions range from arrests to warnings issued by the police.

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“We arrest individuals, conduct urine tests that return positive but when we take them to drug court, the court may rule it as a criminal case rather than a drug case, or if we go to criminal court it might be ruled as a drug case. The law needs to clearly define the where a criminal must be taken. At times, courts release individuals due to jurisdictional issues,” Ihusaan explained.

Under current law, police are unable to detain suspects for more than 24 hours, resulting in the continued presence of these 46 individuals on the streets despite the numerous interactions with law enforcement.

In response to this issue, the government commenced a targeted operation last week focusing on 21 of the most critical offenders. So far, 10 individuals have been sent for treatment at the National Drug Agency, and four have been detained by police on various charges. Efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining seven individuals.

“I believe there will be a significant improvement in Male’ once these 21 individuals are taken off the streets. However, it is imperative that the remaining 25 are also brought within the law and rehabilitated,” Ihusaan stated.

The Minister emphasised the need for clearer legal guidelines to effectively manage and rehabilitate repeat offender.