Assistant Commissioner of Police Farhad Fikri has been appointed as acting commissioner of police.

Speaking to One today, Minister for Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihsan said Farhad was appointed as acting commissioner of police after deputy commissioner of police Abdul Mannan Yusuf and deputy commissioner of police Ali Rasheed, who were earlier in the post, retired from the police service today.

Farhad was appointed acting commissioner of police as per law and on the recommendation of the police board, the Minister said.

Mannan, who was earlier acting police commissioner, was appointed to the post on November 16 following the retirement of Mohamed Hameed, who served as police commissioner during the previous president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration.

The Minister expressed his gratitude on behalf of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and on behalf of the Police Institution for their long-term contributions to the Maldives and the Maldives police service.

The Police Service Act says that if the post of Commissioner of Police falls vacant, he/she has to be appointed to the post within 45 days from that date. The appointment has to be made by the Police Board on the recommendation of the Minister on the advice of the Minister. from the rank of police to above.

At the time of his appointment as acting commissioner, Farhad was one of the seven people who were dismissed by the police board on August 10, 2021, but the Civil Court had ruled that Farhad had been dismissed unjustly, and the matter was now pending in the High Court by the state.