Conference to "reset" police services begins

The "Local Policing Conference" to determine how to further strengthen and better police operational work has begun today.

The two-day conference was ceremoniously started at Paradise Island Resort and Spa this morning. The ceremony was inaugurated by Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan.

Commissioner of Police Ismail Naveen, Deputy Commissioner of Police Farhad Fikree, police executive officers, commissioned officers, various police factor heads and senior officers took part in the ceremony.

As per the police website, the purpose of the conference is to determine the work that needs to be done in order to further strengthen police operational work, and to create a plan to execute said work.

The conference included all factors of the police, with a total of 170 police officers in attendance, said the agency.

In order to prepare for the conference, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan held a special meeting with police last Thursday. He also said that police services need to undergo a "hard reset" and that there is no other choice.

At the meeting, Ihusan said the entire system has failed and that trust in the police is quickly fading.

Ihusan went on to say that while billions are spent on police, an institution that sees the most state expenditure and while many educated people are a part of the force, unprofessional acts have been conducted within the police.

Ihusan said that the police is the institution that is the furthest behind out of all the institutions under his responsibility.

Ihusan said that when the current government's term reached two years, it accounted for 40 percent of the term, with police unable to uphold their responsibilities with a budget of MVR 2.8 billion within that time. He also said that the expenditure was equal to the nation's revenue in 2002.