Graduation of new PNTL Members
On Monday 11 February 2013 the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) has officially conducted a graduation ceremony of the 249 new PNTL members recently recruited. The ceremony took place at the Police Academic Training Centre in Comoro, Dili.
In his speech, PNTL General Commander, Commissioner Longuinhos Monteiro, recalled that before being graduated, the new PNTL members had undergone a three-month basic training at Rai-Robo, followed by a seven-month academic training and ending with a three-month on-the-job training at the Command, in Police-Units, as well as in the different PNTL Departments.
‘In accordance with the calendar, next week, through the Police Academic Training Centre, the PNTL Command will be receiving new 248 cadets of the second phase in order to attend the basic training at Rai-Robo. This is so because, in accordance with the Government’s programme, PNTL is to have an additional number of 1000 effective members by 2015 who will be placed all over the country’, Commissioner Longuinhos Monteiro stated.
After graduating the new PNTL members, the President of the Court of Appeals, Dr. Cláudio Ximenes, called upon the new PNTL members in his speech to accomplish their duties by observing Law and Order, as written on the PNTL emblem. He also stated that the fact of the PNTL members keeping away from interests based on family relations, color of the skin or partisan membership prompts the people to trust police services in the future.
“Police have the obligation to serve in accordance with the Law, by treating everybody equally, irrespective of family relations, colour, or partisan membership, and in accordance with the oath they took. A police member must exercise his or her functions in accordance with what has been established by the law and must ensure that Law is applied. Rules are dictated by Law and when Law is not applied, each and everybody is free to act in their own way’, said Dr. Cláudio Ximenes.
The President of the Court of Appeals further stated that Police is also one of the most important pillars of the country because it is Police that ensures support to internal security as decided by the Government and the National Parliament.
In attendance at the graduation ceremony were Brigadier-General Filomeno Paixão, the Provedor of Human Rights and Justice, Sebastião Dias Ximenes, Anti-Corruption Deputy-Commissioner José Neves, as well as ambassadors, commanders, and relatives of the new PNTL members.
