New amendments now specify the circumstances under which police case documents may be destroyed.

The changes were made through amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the Maintenance and Issuance of Police Records, marking the first revision to the regulation since its introduction.

Under the rules, documents related to cases submitted to the Maldives Police Service must be stored and maintained within the prescribed system. Records of serious criminal offences, or those bordering on such offences, must be retained for eight years, while documents related to minor offences are to be kept for three years. If a case is referred for prosecution, the records must be retained until a court ruling is issued or any appeal proceedings are completed.

Previously, the regulation did not specify the conditions under which these documents could be destroyed after the retention period. The new amendment, however, provides clear criteria for doing so.

If the Prosecutor General determines that a criminal case cannot be prosecuted, the head of the administrative division responsible for maintaining police records may authorise the destruction of related documents within one year from the date of the decision.

Similarly, for non-serious cases where the available evidence is insufficient to prosecute, the investigator and their supervisor may submit a written statement indicating that no additional evidence is likely to be obtained. Based on this, the head of the relevant administrative division may decide to destroy the case documents within one year from the date the case was filed.

The amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the Maintenance and Issuance of Police Records came into effect on 21 October 2025, the date they were gazetted.