Police to ramp up anti-gang ops with weapons
Hameed said the police and the army have been carrying out joint operations since January this year to control the gangs.
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By
Aminath Shifleen
As gangs operating in the city and rural areas and the crimes associated with them have been out of control for nearly 20 years now, the police have announced on Wednesday their plans to expand anti-gang operations.
At a press conference held at the police headquarters on Wednesday, commissioner Mohamed Hameed spoke about the fact that these gangs, which are creating fear among the public and taking away the peace of the society by making dangerous crimes public, have not been controlled so far. The commissioner's hope was that the police would be strengthened against these gangs, which have been organised and built up through many years.
Hameed said the police and the army have been carrying out joint operations since January this year to control the gangs.
"We have worked on this operation to ensure that they are in police 'checks' all day long," he said.
The commissioner said the operation would be expanded once again from January.
"Then we will be ready with body-worn cameras, carrying taser guns," Hameed said.
They own yachts and run big shops in Male area and are doing all these things.
Recently introduced by the police, the taser gun can be used to minimise the damage caused to the police personnel in the event of a need to use force against dangerous criminals.
The stun gun will be used in situations:
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to send an electric shock against a person who disobeys or needs to be detained by the police
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After being shot, the body gets numbed temporarily
On Wednesday the police chief also spoke about the dangers of gang acts and crimes over the years and the extent to which they have created fear in the minds of the general public.
According to him:
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Whether it is about drugs, a gangster's girlfriend dating another gangster from another neighbourhood, or even through Eid festivities, gangs beat up people and put the public in a state of panic
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Gang crimes in the country are so rampant today because not much action has been taken against them in the past
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This has led to gangs expanding, various generations being recruited into it, some of them becoming gang-lords and very rich
"They own yachts and run big shops in Male area and are doing all these things," Hameed said.
"We are not fooled by the fact that they influence legal structures so much that it is hard to keep a hold on them."
He said there were legal challenges to diffuse gang operations, especially in the Male area. He added that the police are in talks with the state authorities to develop a legal framework that is relevant to this time and age.
