U.S. Embassy Conducts Antiterrorism Assistance Program for Maldivian Police Service

Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis signed a Memorandum of Intent with MPS Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz to conduct Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) training on June 5, 2012.  The U.S. Embassy will conduct the training programs for the Maldivian Police Service (MPS) on June 10-21 and July 1-12. The ATA program ‘Police Leaders Role in Combating Terrorism’ (PLRCT) will be held on June 10-21 and ‘Preventing Attacks on Soft Targets’ (PAST) will be conducted on July 1-12.

The programs will be offered for mid and senior level members of the MPS and will aim to enhance their ability to combat terrorism through innovative strategies and state-of-the-art technology and enlighten the MPS officers on the importance the U.S. places on human rights.

PLRCT will help police officers examine how the latest trends in terrorism worldwide affects the Maldives and highlight the proactive role of law enforcement in detecting, deterring and preventing terrorism. The officers will have the opportunity to discuss challenges in combating terrorism and participate in problem-solving exercises to develop effective counterterrorism strategies. PAST will be offered in combination of lectures, case studies, practical exercises and field exercises. This program will guide officers to develop comprehensive operational security plans in order to establish robust measures to prevent terrorist attacks on soft targets.

Since 1983, the ATA program has helped strengthen counterterrorism diplomacy between U.S. and its foreign partners and assisted over 84,000 foreign security and law enforcement officials from 154 countries to increase their counterterrorism capabilities.