Police Board recommends appointing Shujau as new Police CP

The Police Board has recommended the appointment of Assistant Commissioner Ali Shujau as the new Police Commissioner to Home Minister Ali Ihusan.

After the authority opened the application window for the top spot of the law enforcement authority, Shujau along with Assistant Commissioner Ismail Naveen applied for the position. The names of both senior officers were forwarded by the minister to the Police Board for consideration.

It was learned that following the assessment by the Police Board on the two officers, it was discovered that Naveen was not eligible for the post according to the criteria established by the board earlier.

The board then decided to assess Shujau's credentials and recommended to the minister to appoint him as the new Commissioner.

Minister Ihusan confirmed to Mihaaru News on Sunday, December 24, that he had received the board's advisory.

According to the Police Service Act, the commissioner of the force should be appointed from the officers with Assistant Commissioner's rank or above.

The commissioner is appointed through the Police Board's interview and capacity evaluation. According to the law, the commissioner is appointed by the President according to the advise of the relevant minister following the commissioner-aspirant candidate's evaluation by the Police Board.

The top rank of the police became vacant after Commissioner Mohamed Hameed was retired on November 15.

Currently, Assistant Commissioner Farhad Fikry is assuming the responsibilities of the acting Commissioner following Hameed's retirement.

According to reports, the new government that assumed power on November 17 delayed the appointment of the new commissioner based on the advice of the Police Board. The board recommended making a decision after the verdict on the case of Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed, who was among the officers recently discharged.

On December 13, the High Court held that there were no legal grounds to revise the interim injunction to halt the reinstatement of Ahmed Mohamed, along with three other officers, into the police force.