Sydney (VNA) – Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on January 29 announced that Australia has made a 35 million AUD (23.08 million USD) commitment to continue the successful policing partnership between the Australian Federal Police and the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL).
The funding will support skilled and professional policing services in Timor-Leste through the Timor-Leste Police Development Programme (TLPDP).
In its 20th year of operation, the TLPDP has helped develop the skills and capacity of Timor-Leste’s national police force to detect, disrupt, deter and respond to crime and instability.
According to DFAT’s announcement, this new phase of support will explicitly place community policing principles at the heart of the partnership and focus on responding to the needs of women, children and vulnerable persons.
It will also build police preparedness to respond to natural disasters and crises, improve key IT and communications systems, enhance maritime and forensic capabilities, and tackle transnational serious and organised crime.
Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said that Australia is committed to working with Timor-Leste to deliver skilled and professional policing services that contribute to a stable and secure Timor-Leste.
“This long-standing programme is just one demonstration of Australia’s commitment to a stable, prosperous and secure future for the people of Timor-Leste,” he said.
According to DFAT, Australia remains Timor-Leste’s largest development and security partner – and will contribute an estimated 118 million AUD in development assistance in 2023-2024./.
ASEAN, Australia foster cooperation
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia have recently held the first Joint Planning and Review Committee (JPRC) Meeting of the Australia for ASEAN (Aus4ASEAN) Futures Initiative at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
