Prosecutor General Uz Abbas Shareef has said prosecutors and law enforcement agencies will need to make considerable efforts to gather sufficient evidence before a court can classify a criminal group as a gang under the new Prevention of Gang and Other Serious Offences Act.

The Act, which comes into force on 25 August after being ratified in May, allows the High Court to formally declare a group as a gang and authorises authorities to publish such classifications in the Government Gazette. Uz Abbas noted that once such classifications are made, agencies will be able to take stronger action against gang-related activity.

He expressed confidence that the legislation would strengthen public trust in the justice system, introducing harsher penalties for organised and violent crimes while removing the possibility of clemency or presidential pardons for serious offences.

While laws targeting gang activity and the possession of dangerous weapons have been in place since 2010, they have not delivered effective results. The new Act is intended to close these gaps and address long-standing public calls for tougher measures.

Key provisions of the Act include judicial identification of gangs and affiliated individuals, confiscation of illicit wealth and assets, criminalisation of financial support to gangs, and authorisation of controlled deliveries and covert operations to disrupt networks. It also introduces preventive measures to protect children from recruitment, monitoring of high-risk individuals through electronic tagging under the MoniCon Order, and structured systems for offender supervision and rehabilitation.

In addition to the ratification of the Act, the Government has stepped up efforts to tackle gang crime, including the establishment of a dedicated Gang Crime Enforcement Unit within the Maldives Police Service.