Communitarian Police will adopt the principles of “Visibility, Involvement and Professionalism” to service communities.
National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) General Commander Commissioner Longuinhos Monteiro said the PNTL will base all its activities on the new doctrine, which will be known by the acronym VIP.
Commissioner Monteiro said police visibility makes the community feel secure, while involvement will see the community being directly involved in the work of the communitarian police.
The principle of professionalism will see the police answerable to the community.
The new doctrine will apply to all members of the PNTL, the commissioner said.
The term “Communitarian Police” does not refer to a specific department or section of the PNTL but instead refers to the approach taken by the PNTL which sees the institution work directly with communities, Commissioner Monteiro said.
Member of Parliament (MP) Cesar Valente de Jesus praised the new VIP model as a positive step.
The MP also said it was important to raise awareness in the community about the model and police system so the community can have the knowledge to access PNTL services.
