Venidora Oliveira – Criminal Investigation Service (SIK) registered 4049 criminal cases in 2016.
Second General Commander of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) Commissioner Faustino da Costa said of that number there was a high prevalence of assault cases, with 969 registered cases.
He said in some of the cases the final decision from the court was pending, while others were still being processed. "We see a high rate of these cases [and] therefore the community and police should work together to reduce it," the Commissioner said.
When conflict occurs in the villages, he said the community sometimes refused to cooperate with police or provide any information. As a result, he said this allowed people to continue their involvement in criminal activity.
"When the patrol car arrives at the place, everyone denies [there was a crime] and says that the perpetrators are from another village. It means that there is a lack of cooperation from the community," he said.
However, he said Manufahi municipality registered just 48 cases in 2016, a lower number compared to other municipalities.
On the other hand, National MP Cesar Valente said the registered crime cases were classified as serious and should be prevented. "Our criminal cases remain high, [so] it means that we should work harder," he said.
Therefore, he said everyone must play a part in helping to prevent crime.