PNTL in Manatuto complete UNPol certification

27 Jun 2008

PNTL in Manatuto complete UNPol certification

Manatuto District is on its way to becoming the first district in Timor-Leste where all PNTL officers have been successfully certified by UN Police (UNPol), a first step towards resuming full command. At an official ceremony held on 21 June in Manatuto, 49 PNTL officers received certificates and permanent ID cards from Acting UN Police Commissioner Juan-Carlos Arévalo. A further 57 PNTL officers are in the final stages of mentoring and will be fully certified shortly.

At the ceremony, Mr. Arévalo encouraged the PNTL officers to continue improving their professional skills and service to the people of Timor-Leste. "This certificate is the documentary evidence of the knowledge that you have acquired and the process that you have completed. But the most important evidence of your success is the service that the population will receive from you," he said.

Mr. Arévalo told UNMIT Radio that Liquiça will be the next district to complete certification of all its PNTL members and that certification was one of the conditions for PNTL to resume command in all 13 districts. Full certification of PNTL officers comes after a lengthy process agreed upon by the Government and UN after the crisis in 2006, which is now being reviewed. The Reform, Restructuring, and Rebuilding of PNTL includes screening, training, and mentoring of PNTL officers by UNPol counterparts stationed across the country.

During his visit, Mr. Chan also met with senior UN officials and spoke to UN staff at a Town Hall meeting.