Parliament greenlights Police Service Bill

The parliament, on Sunday, passed the Police Service Bill with two amendments by Deputy Speaker of Parliament and parliamentary representative for Male' City's Galolhu North constituency, Eva Abdulla.

All 59 parliamentarians attending the session unanimously voted to approve the Police Service Bill, which was initially lodged in February by parliamentary representative for Male' City's Henveiru-West constituency Hassan Latheef.

The first amendment allocated a 14-day period, from the ratification of the bill, for the formation of the Police Board that will be tasked with overseeing and making decisions pertaining to police matters.

MP Eva's second amendment stipulates the reappointment of all officers above the rank of superintendent, with the exception of the Commissioner of Police.

While the Police Board is required to commence the reappointment process upon ratification of the bill, incumbent officers will maintain their positions until these efforts are complete.

Additionally, the amendment also details the criteria under which officers must be appointed. This includes academic background, current rank within Maldives Police Service and the individual's discipline and conduct.

The National Integrity Commission (NIC) is required to provide counsel regarding the aforementioned aspects as part of the reappointment process, with the body mandated to submit detailed reports within 45 days following the ratification of the Police Service Bill.

Under the amendment, NIC's report must highlight the number and type of complaints submitted against officers, clarify if any of the complaints pertain to allegations of corruption or inhumane acts, and note whether a disciplinary issue has been proven against the candidate.

Furthermore, NIC must include the officers' financial and debt status in addition to promotion records and provide an overall opinion.

The entirety of the Police Service Bill grants substantive authority to the parliament's Committee on National Security Services -- more commonly known as the 241 Committee.

As per the bill, the purpose of provisions granting increased powers to the 241 committee is to ensure that the committee can exercise its vested oversight authority over Maldives Police Service (MPS) as stipulated in the Maldivian Constitution.