The History of the Maldivian Police is not understood very clearly. It has been lost in the darkness of the gloom and human minds have eventually abandoned the memories.
It is obvious that from the very first day of establishment of people in the land of Maldives, there should have been activities to establish peace and harmony amongst them. The writings of the journalists who arrived to the Maldives in the earlier days witnessed Maldivians living peacefully and that they loved a life of harmony and calmness.
Establishment of police
Police was formed approximately about 70 years ago, during the kingdom of A-Sultan Mohamed Shamsudhdheen III. It was established by a Law that was announced on 29th March 1933.
There were 120 officers in the police when it was first established. Their duty was to patrol the market area and the island. In other words, establishing peace amongst the citizens and protecting the people and their belongings. Just as today’s patrols, Police had their duty shifts during then too. They wore uniforms while on duty. The uniform consisted of Maldivian Traditional dress- Mundu & Libaas, Black Cap and Belts. They used batons while on duty and also had whistles with them. If Police needed help while on duty, the protection and help of military was available as the Law stated.
During the earlier days of Police, there was violence between the foreign investors and the Maldivians. The foreigners stopped business with Maldivians and closed their shops which caused the Maldivians to suffer. The Police tried their best to control the situation, but needed the help of the Military. The Military helped the Police in their full strength and finally brought the situation under control. That was on 15th May 1933.
The law that established police in 29th March 1933 by Sultan Mohamed Shamsudhdheen, has never been cancelled by any of the historical writings seen so far. It is known that Police and Military were separate organizations when they first formed. Like in the developed countries of today, Police and Military had two different managements.
Police office
The Investigation office was very small and had only three investigation tables in the office. The office was mostly painted in green which is why the place was also called the Green Office. The Police had three sections then- Theft, Political and Serious Crimes.
Public complaints
A person that comes with a complaint was received by the officer at the gate and questions him about the complaint. Then he calls the senior duty officer to the gate, who solves the problem. This was so until the 11th of November 1978.
Search and arrest
If a person is needed for an investigation or to be detained, the name of the person is written on a small piece of paper and is given to one from the patrol officer. He then finds him and brings him to the Police office and reports to the senior officer who gave him the task.
Changes to police building
The Police office was changed to the current NSS library in 1970. Initially, they had the same three sections in the new office too. The Police office developed rapidly with time. Young officers started joining the Police and since 1978 the whole image of Police changed. In the earlier days during investigations, those who were questioned stood in front of the Officer’s desk. Finally, they were made to be seated beside the investigation table. New sections formed and road accidents were being monitored by the police. Police was sent abroad and trained to receive the modern education of those days.
Since the organization was expanding, the lack of space in the building was experienced. As a result finally, in 1985 the Police Office changed to the building where the Ministry of Defense is located today. Apart from an Admin Section, five investigation sections were formed. And in 1992 a Police Inspector from the West Yorkshire Police named David Price introduced the modern working structure of the Police, introducing Police beats and mobile patrols. Police shifted to Shaheedh Hussain Adam Building in 1999 and on 1st September 2004 Maldives Police Service was formed under the Ministry of Home Affairs which was a major functional shift of the present administration.
