The Minister for the Interior (MI), Francisco da Costa Guterres, said that to combat organised crime in Timor-Leste, the government has held meetings with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to support the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) in identifying organised criminal networks.
“The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is supporting efforts to combat organised crime in Timor-Leste, including online gambling networks,” he said.
He added that organised crime continues to occur in Timor-Leste, as in other countries, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, and online gambling, and that these crimes must be tackled.
He highlighted that organised crime or transnational crime is well known to the public, and that while some networks have recently been dismantled, continued monitoring of these networks remains necessary.
“To combat organised crime, particularly online gambling, the government has now issued a resolution to shut down illegal online gambling operations and has authorised the Criminal Investigation Services Directorate to take action to pursue perpetrators,” he said.
He added that Australia has committed to assisting Timor-Leste in enhancing the capacity of its criminal investigators, including improving information gathering and information services, and has also promised to provide some equipment to help detect illegal online gambling activities.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner for Crime of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Ian McCartney, said that bilateral cooperation between Timor-Leste and Australia has been very strong.
“This cooperation is important to achieve good coordination, because developments in the region show that we all face significant challenges from organised crime and other related issues,” he said.
He added that strong cooperation must be maintained to address these challenges, and that the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste works closely with the government to provide robust support at the political, technical and security levels, ensuring that all efforts run smoothly.He added that Timor-Leste and Australia share a strong commitment to combating organised crime and human trafficking, including online gambling.
