The first amendment to the Maldives Police Service Act (law No. 34/2020) was ratified on 22 March 2023. 

The amendment brings changes to Section 17 and 100 (g) of the Act as follows: 

• Section 17 of the Act includes provisions regarding background and record checks before recruiting new applicants to the Maldives Police Service. According to the Section, background checks must always include background analysis and polygraph tests. However, the amendment removes the polygraph test from the mandatory procedures and makes it an optional procedure available after the mandatory record check and background analysis. Additionally, the amendments also confer upon the Maldives Police Service the responsibility to make a regulation governing the application of the mandatory and optional procedures.

• Section 100 (g) of the Act contains provisions regarding the educational qualifications of investigative officers in the Police Service and states that each person authorized to investigate shall hold at least a diploma level qualification recognized by the Maldives Police Service in a field related to investigation. To achieve this objective, the Commissioner of Police reserves the right to postpone the implementation of this clause until 27 March 2024.