Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed has opened a new detention centre in Fuvahmulah during a special ceremony held yesterday (April 6).
The facility – which is established within the premises of Fuvahmulah police station – can hold up to 20 detainees and consists of ten cells.
According to local media Sun Online,Commissioner Waheed said that while the police have the authority to detain persons suspected of crimes, he hoped that the facility would stay vacant most of the time.
He reportedly said that this can only be achieved if all groups work together to prevent crime in the atoll.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) yesterday arrested two people suspected of sexually abusing children as the number of cases reported in recent weeks continues to grow.
The latest addition to a series of child abuse arrests in the past weeks saw a 38-year-old man accused of sexually abusing his three-year-old stepdaughter in Hulhudhoo, Seenu atoll.
He was arrested last night from the tourist resort in which he works.
A 51-year-old Indian migrant worker accused of sexually abusing an eleven-year-old boy was also arrested last night from Feeali, in Faafu atoll. Both cases are currently under investigation by the MPS.
While it has been suggested that the rise represents a greater willingness to report existing abuses, the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) has suggested child abuse is rising, urging parents to be more alert.
In the past few weeks, similar incidents across the country have seen police making a number of arrests for alleged abuses including child sex trafficking by a 45-year-old man, and the arrest seven men of age 18 -30 years arrested from Thinadhoo for forcing a 16 year old girl into prostitution
While the cause of this increase has yet to be established, it has been suggested that the current trend may simply reflect an increase in the number of cases being reported – previously, the discussion and reporting of such cases had been considered taboo in the Maldivian community.
Commenting on the issue, Vice President of the HRCM Ahmed Tholal said that the increasing number of child abuses cases is an issue the state should be taken very seriously.
“I believe it is not merely an increase in reporting, I think it is becoming more common. During our trips to twenty two islands around the country for our ongoing National Inquiry on Access to Education for Children with Disabilities , almost in all islands there were cases of physical, mental and sexual abuse of children,” said Tholal.
Other arrests have included a 44-year-old man arrested for exposing himself to a twelve-year-old to whom he had shown pornography, and the case of a 29-year-old man arrested from Rasdhoo for sexually abusing a thirteen year old girl.
A number of people have also been sentenced for child abuse during this period including a 78 year old man who was sentenced for ten years imprisonment by the Kulhudhufushi Magistrate court for sexually abusing a seven-year-old on multiple occasions.
An alarming number of child abuse cases have been reported in the past few years, supporting suggestions of widespread child prostitution across the country.
Stating that a special focus needs to be given to the issue, the HRCM’s Tholal said it is important to take a holistic approach in prevention of child abuse.
“Definitely more work needs to be done in many areas including awareness, research and legal protection. One very important thing is for parents to be more responsible in taking care of children,” he said.
“We need to address it legally as well by holding parents accountable for their neglect.”
A man has been released from police custody yesterday (April 2) after being taken to the Criminal Court seven minutes past his legally allowed period of detention.
Local media reported that the police had arrested the individual on a drug case, and that he was allegedly one of the drug barons arrested earlier this year.
When authorities realised his detention period had expired, the man was released by police without charge.
According to the constitution, any person detained must be presented before a judge within 24 hours.
Police have released detailed information of the special operation conducted to seize 24kgs of heroin smuggled into the Maldives using an Iranian vessel last month.
A police officer implicated in the crime as well as the 11 Pakistani nationals on the Iranian vessel were among the 18 persons arrested in connection with the case.
In the statement the police said that officers involved in the operation experienced things that they had never experienced before, and it was noted that the police officers aboard the speedboat were not carrying any weapons.
Police said that officers involved in the operation first followed two Maldivians who went to Villimalé on March 4 where the Maldivian boat the ‘Violet’ was prepared to set sail to meet an Iranian vessel which had journeyed from Chahabar, Iran.
When the two Maldivians reached the boat docked in Villimalé harbour, the boat captain and three expats working on board had already made all preparations to set sail towards North Ari atoll at around 3:30pm.
Police officers were assigned to follow the ‘Violet’ on a gulf craft speedboat as it left Malé with intercepted communications revealing that the Maldivian boat planned to meet with the Iranian craft at 11pm that evening.
The boat reached North Ari atoll at 6:15pm, stopping in the ocean between Rasdhoo and Mathiveri, before making its first trip to meet the Iranian vessel at 3:30am in the morning.
According to police, the meeting point of the Iranian vessel and the ‘Violet’ was 30 nautical miles north of North Ari atoll. The Maldivian boat travelled outside the EEZ of the Maldives in heavy rain and rough seas with the police speedboat following throughout.
When the ‘Violet’ reached the meeting point, its crew was informed that the Iranian ship was still 450 miles away from the meeting point, and that they will take 56 hours to get there. The ‘Violet’ subsequently returned to North Ari atoll.
Police said the two men police originally followed subsequently returned to Malé, contacting their agent in Iran at 11:30pm to get details regarding the next attempted rendezvous.
The following day, as the ‘Violet’ refueled in preparation for its second trip to meet the Iranian vessel, the two Maldivians suspects attempted to transfer money to agents in Iran.
Police have revealed that the money was transferred by a member of the Maldives Police Service who has subsequently been arrested in connection with the case.
The next day ‘Violet’ travelled on the same route as before, again stopping between Ukulhas and Mathiveri, before being contacted at 12:45am by the Iranian ship which explained that it was 200 miles from the meeting point.
After receiving this news, the Maldivian boat travelled towards Baa Atoll – outside Maldivian territorial waters – and waited there until the Iranian vessel informed the crew that the drugs were hidden inside a small dingy in the Iranian vessel.
The following day (March 9) the Maldivian vessel reached the meeting point, but again had to wait for the Iranian vessel to get there the next morning.
When the two boats met the the Maldivian boat took a small dingy released by the Iranian vessel and began its trip back to Malé late in the afternoon of March 10, the police statement said.
Upon their arrival in Hulhumale’ that evening, all aboard ‘Violet’ were arrested and the drugs seized.
After collecting enough information to begin the operation, police assigned 16 officers to follow ‘Violet’: five intelligence officers were based in Mathiveri Island, a surveillance team consisting on seven officers was created.
Eight intelligence officers were assigned as a ground analysis team, and a further five were assigned as ground technical team. Three intelligence officers were assigned as covert team and two others were used to trace communications, the police statement revealed.
This article was first published in the Police Life. Republished with permission.
Anyone below the legal age of 18 is seen as a minor in the eyes of the law in the Maldives. As such, their parents are their guardians and it is believed that they have certain leniencies afforded to them.
This is reflected in the increasing trend of juvenile crime in the Maldives. The underlying logic behind this trend seems to be that minors cannot be persecuted by the law and they would somehow avoid harmful consequences.
But this is a total misconception – while there are leniencies, they are not without limits, and are intended to offer a chance for the youth to redeem themselves or to turn their lives around at an early stage.
According to Maldivian law, any juvenile offender will only receive one third of the sentence – for example, a sentence of 15 years in prison maybe reduced to 5 years instead. Though this leniency exists, it is by no means a way to walk away without consequences. The individual will be monitored for a long period of time.
Another misunderstood leniency is one that is offered only to individuals committing their first offense. Depending on the nature of the crime, there is a delaying of carrying out the sentence for a set period of time. This is done to give the first offender a chance of redemption. But this leniency comes with certain terms and conditions.
One of the conditions is that if any additional crimes are committed during the set duration the sentence is delayed, the sentences for both crimes would be carried out together – for example, if a 5 year sentence for a crime was delayed from passing and the individual committed another crime that resulted in a 5 year sentence, they would get a 10 year sentence.
If the set duration passes without any criminal activity, the first offender is pardoned. But this is a leniency offered once and only once. Any further criminal activity from the same individual will not be afforded any such leniency.
Another thing to consider is that even if it is a first offense, the type of crime committed is also an important deciding factor. If it is a serious crime such as murder, the aforementioned leniency will not be afforded.
When talking about juvenile offenders, it is also important to shed some light on what is known as the “community conference”. It is a group of professionals and related individuals who come together to assess the progress of the minor to deem whether they are fit to continue being part of the society.
The conference contains the juvenile offender themselves, their parent/s, a judge, a prosecutor from the Prosecutor General’s Office, a representative of the FCPD (Family and Child Protection Department) of the Maldives Police Service and a representative from the Juvenile Justice Unit.
They come together to discuss the progress of the youth in terms of rehabilitation, trends in behaviour, risk factors and also to assist the youth in their re-entry and reintegration into society.
The ongoing misconception that because the youth of the nation are a protected and cherished group, they are exempt from consequences is a very harmful one. It results in many “at-risk” youth opting to delve into criminal behaviour and because it allows other, older individuals who are involved in criminal behaviour to exploit these minors for various criminal endeavors.
But the sad truth is that such thinking often results in many youth with untapped potential getting caught up in criminal or anti-social behaviour and paying a hefty price for it.
While there are leniencies to protect our youth, they are there to afford them chances of redemption and to give them the opportunity to better themselves while they still have time. Said leniencies are also not limitless and come with various terms and conditions that must be met. The goal is rehabilitation and crime prevention rather than simply punishment.
So it is important to always remember that even juvenile crime is not without consequence.
All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]
The police have introduced a new policy which will protect the identity of persons taken into police custody until the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) charges them in court.
Newspaper Haveeru has reported a police media official as saying that the police will no longer reveal the names of suspects arrested before they are officially charged in the court – though it was noted that this policy remains at the discretion of senior officers.
The paper noted that police had not revealed the names of suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing of former MP for Feydhoo constituency Alhan Fahmy.
Haveeru reported that the official told the paper that the new policy was made after an agreement signed between the police and PGO.
A man who was taken to Criminal Court for a hearing to extend his detainment period has been arrested on Saturday (March 29) after he tried to escape by jumping out of a second floor window.
Local media outlet Haveeru reported that the Criminal Court identified the man as Hassan Nashid from Gaafu Alif atoll Dhevvadhoo. He was a suspect in a drug-related case, according to the court.
The man reportedly tried to escape after the court had extended his custody by five days. After jumping out the window, the man landed near the vehicle in which he was brought in, and was immediately apprehended by the police who were standing nearby.
According to Haveeru, police said that the man is now under their custody, but declined to comment on the injuries he had sustained from jumping through the window.
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