There are calls for the Ministry for Interior to erect a staff dormitory for officers based at the police station in Atauro.
The MP said it’s necessary to build the dormitory so that police officers could live with their families.
National MP Angelina da Costa said it was unacceptable that officers had to leave their families alone in the villages while they went away to work.
“That’s why they (police officers) sometimes do their job ineffectively because they are thinking of their family,” da Costa told the National Parliament.
Regardless of where they were based, she said police should be provided with adequate living quarters.
She said community members and leaders were often critical of the police service despite the conditions provided being inadequate.
She said the Atauro Police Commander had made repeated requests for a dormitory to be constructed, but had yet to receive a response.
“They (police officers) feel concerned because they need this and we have to take it into account,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Second General Commander of the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL), Faustino da Costa, said although the command wanted to provide sustainable conditions for its officers, the budget available was limited.
“Every year we want to do this [and] improve that, but we must look at the determined fiscal budget,” he said.
He said PNTL officers at the grassroots level faced a variety of challenges, but must continue working to maintain law and order in the country.
