East Timor's National Police Commissioner, Longuinhos Monteiro, says he is confident his force will be able to maintain law and order in the country.

Yesterday, the United Nations officially handed back full control of policing operations to the East Timor National Police (PNTL).

The current UN deployment, known as the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT), came in 2006, after a deadly crisis involving the police and army.

Mr Monteiro told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program both sides had resolved their differences and were ready to work together.

"We are really, really confident that these two institutions that deal with security and defence now have tidied their relations, not only in the command level but also on the ground level," Mr Monteiro said.

Mr Monteiro paid tribute to the efforts of its international partners, and praised the support given by the police forces of Indonesia, Australia, Portugal and the United States.

"The trust has to be built. It's not only a one-day, 24-hour issue," he said. "But, I believe that we together can bring peace and prosperity for all our people."