Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan says gang-related crime has declined compared to last year, with cases involving 10 gang leaders currently under investigation.

Speaking at Sunday evening’s Ahaa Forum, Ihusaan said gang violence has remained a long-standing issue in the Maldives, with between two and five young people killed in gang-related incidents annually since 2007.

He said the government has stepped up police presence in gang-affected areas while providing opportunities for young people involved in gangs to leave criminal environments and find employment.

According to Ihusaan, 53 gang-related operations have been conducted so far, during which police checked 10,450 individuals, made 517 arrests and towed 670 motorcycles.

He said the measures have contributed to a reduction in gang-related violence and the frequency of reports involving stabbings, gang fights and street violence.

“The result is that we don’t see the headlines like back in the day, stabbing here, stabbing there; gang fights; street violence. These stories have become fewer. In the last three years, during our administration, not a single Maldivian has lost their life in gang violence,” Ihusaan said.

Ihusaan also said 26 locations previously used as safe houses for recruiting children into gangs have been shut down. Cases involving 10 gang leaders have been under investigation since June last year.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu previously said on November 17 that government policies had resulted in young people leaving gangs, claiming there was “no one left to take to court to declare as gangs.”

He called on young people involved in gangs to abandon gang life and said he did not want gangs to continue committing crimes in Maldivian society.