There are concerns that the police station in the Atauro administrative post still lacks human resources despite an annual recruitment process to attract new members.
National MP Angelina da Costa said there were currently nine members based in Atauro: five of them based in the suku (village) and another four at the station.
She said officers were often forced to do double duties due to the lack of staff and resources.
“We need to add more police members at that station,” da Costa told the National Parliament.
She also questioned why human resources were still inadequate despite the annual recruitment drive.
“Where are the new members who have been recruited every year?” she said.
The National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) currently has a total of 3812 members.
In response to the concerns raised, PNTL Second General Commander Commissioner Faustino da Costa said the PNTL was taking steps to reduce the duration of training from one year to six to nine months so that recruitment could be done twice in a year.
He also acknowledged that current members were doing extra work to make up for the shortfall in human resources.
“We would like to have many members so that they (existing members) do not need to do double duties anymore,” he said.
