Salaries of all police personnel will be increased by 35 percent starting this month, said Police Spokesperson Chief Superintendent of Police Ahmed Shifan.
Providing details of the changes to police salaries, Shifan told Mihaaru News that the adjustments to the pay structure were made to ensure that all police personnel receive an allowance according to the work they do, in addition to their basic pay.
Although previously, allowances have been provided under various names, four main allowances will be given beginning this month, he said. These include salary, rank allowance, job allowance, and risk allowance.
"The focus has been working on improving the services provided by the police to the public, so the pay structure has been revised to ensure a significant change in the salary of anyone who is working diligently and directly serving the people," Shifan said.
Shifan said that the small allowances being given to officers over the years do not reflect the ongoing change in pay structure. Therefore, the provision of smaller allowances under different names has been discontinued, and larger allowances have been established, he said. The allowance for officers' rank is also almost equal to their basic salary, according to Shifan.
Since police officers are occasionally assigned to different departments, their salaries will change according to their evolving work scope.
The previous government had decided to revise the salary structure of a Constable rank policeman, increasing it from MVR 11,000 to MVR 15,400. Similarly, the salary of an employee with a Private rank in the military would see an increment from MVR 11,500 to MVR 16,300.
Under the new pay structure, Constable rank police officers, who currently receive a salary of MVR 11,820, will now receive a minimum salary of MVR 15,500 per month.
Shifan stated that inclusive of allowances, officers will receive a salary of MVR 17,000. Additionally, patrolmen will receive an additional MVR 1,000, and those working on shift duties will receive an additional MVR 750.
Food allowance will be provided to officers who lack food arrangements and to those who do not have time for regular meals due to the nature of their work.
"There is a significant and favorable change coming into the pay structure of the police. This is the first major pay revision for the police force since 2009. Overall, salaries of all police personnel will be increased by at least 35 percent," he said.
Increasing the salaries of police and MNDF personnel was a pledge made by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu during his presidential campaign. Similarly, the salaries of MNDF personnel will also see an increase from next month.
Although official details are unavailable as of yet, it is learned that enlisted personnel will receive a salary of between MVR 15,000 and MVR 45,000, Warrant Officers will see their salaries rise between MVR 29,000 and MVR 46,000, and Officers will receive salaries between MVR 31,000 and MVR 75,000.