POLRI

Of all of PCIC's international partnerships, cooperation with the National Police of Indonesia is the one most directly shaped by geography. Timor-Leste and Indonesia share a land border on the island of Timor - the country's only land border - and are linked by networks of human, economic, and cultural ties stretching back decades. This proximity creates opportunities, but also risks: drug-trafficking routes, smuggling, trafficking in persons, and organised crime do not respect borders, and effective investigation of these phenomena necessarily requires cooperation between the two countries' police forces.

POLRI is one of the largest police forces in the world, with significant experience combating organised crime in a region of enormous geopolitical and criminal complexity. Indonesia faces challenges similar to those of Timor-Leste in matters such as drug trafficking - heroin and methamphetamine routes through Southeast Asia frequently cross the Timor-Indonesia border - trafficking in persons, and illegal migration. Sharing criminal information and coordinating operations along this border are practical security imperatives for both countries.

The relationship between PCIC and POLRI has been developing progressively, within the framework of diplomatic and security relations between the two countries. The 2020-2030 Strategic Plan sets as targets the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding with POLRI and, on the multilateral level, the appointment of a PCIC investigator as a liaison officer to INTERPOL in Singapore - facilitating regional coordination with Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia. PCIC and POLRI also share an interest in establishing clear procedures for coordinating cases involving suspects or evidence on both sides of the border, closing competence gaps that criminals systematically exploit.