Seminar “Organization of Criminal Investigation in Timor-Leste”
The Ministry of Justice of Timor-Leste, with the support of the Justice Program, delegated cooperation by the European Union in Portugal/Camões – Institute of Cooperation and Language, and in a strategic partnership with the Portuguese Judiciary Police, organized a seminar about the “Organization of Criminal Investigation in Timor-Leste”.
The event was held on the 29th of January, precisely on the eve of the swearing in ceremony of the Special Unit of Scientific and Criminal Investigation Police (SCIP), to be held on the 30th of January, at the same location in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
Opening the seminar was the Minister of Justice, Dionísio Babo Soares, who highlighted the objective of the event: “to make us stronger because we have a clearer insight and are better informed.”
In charge of criminal investigation in Timor-Leste are the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL), Migration Services, the Commission on Anti-Corruption and, now, the Scientific and Criminal Investigation Police (SCIP).
According to Dionísio Babo Soares, it is expected that the seminar will help to clarify “the responsibilities of each body of criminal police working in the field of criminal investigation” in order to “guarantee the functional stability of criminal investigation, clarify, rationalize and operationalize the organization of criminal investigation, establish the boundaries of technical and tactical autonomy of police forces and distribute responsibilities between the different bodies of criminal police.
Also intervening in the morning period were the General Prosecutor, José da Costa Ximenes, the General Commander of PNTL, Longuinhos Monteiro, and were also present the Commissioner on Anti-Corruption and the Director of Migration Services.
For the Ministry of Justice, the presence of these individualities is “an unequivocal sign of the demanding commitment imposed by the objectives of criminal investigation, especially in guaranteeing the defence of legality, of the Rule of Law, and the fight against crime.”
From Portugal, also delivering their speech, were the National Director of the Judiciary Police (JP), Almeida Rodrigues, the Portuguese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Manuel Gonçalves de Jesus, and the Director of the Laboratory of Scientific Police, Carlos Farinha.
The participants highlighted the importance of sharing specialized knowhow and experience, between JP and the future SCIP agents, and at the same time reinforced how crucial it is for the several organs of criminal police to cross information without interfering in each other’s competences.
The event finished precisely with a debate about “interinstitutional relations between criminal police bodies”, followed by a session of questions and answers.
