Police to begin conducting post-mortems, establish toxicology

Commissioner of Police Ismail Naveen has announced that the Maldives Police Service will begin conducting post-mortem examinations and is in the process of establishing toxicology testing capabilities.

In an interview with Dhauru on Tuesday, Commissioner Naveen said efforts to introduce post-mortem services had been ongoing since his tenure as Deputy Commissioner. According to him, the necessary groundwork is now in place to begin implementation.

Agreements have been reached between the Maldives Police Service, the Ministry of Health, Police Medical, and the relevant hospital. A police doctor has been identified to carry out post-mortem examinations. Work is also underway to set up the required facility and procure the equipment.

“Discussions have taken place and arrangements are being made. The Police Medical has assured us that work can begin once the location and resources are ready, and the doctor is available,” said Naveen.

He added that technical staff from abroad may be brought in once operations begin in the Maldives.

Currently, post-mortem services are not available in the country. In cases requiring further analysis, bodies are sent abroad, often to India, which incurs significant costs. A motion has been submitted to Parliament calling for the process to be expedited.

As part of broader efforts to modernise police services, Commissioner Naveen said improvements will be made in operations, investigations, intelligence gathering, and support services. These include the introduction of modern forensic tools and technologies.

The police forensic laboratory is being equipped with toxicology testing equipment to detect poisoning in death investigations.

“There will be challenges if equipment is outdated. We are working to bring toxicology capability to the chemical laboratory. Once in place, the lab will be able to detect poisoning as a cause of death,” he said.