Unidade da Polícia Marítima

Headquarters of the Polícia Marítima in Dili

The Unidade da Polícia Marítima UPM ( tetum Unidade Polísia Marítima , German maritime unit of the police ), Polícia Marítima for short , is the water police and coast guard of East Timor . She is part of the East Timorese National Police .

Overview

UPM officials at Veterans Day (2020)

UPM was created by Act 9/2009 of February 18 on the organs of the PNTL, Article 32 (1), in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , Part VII, Section 1, Article 98. At that time, the police were responsible in large parts of the country still in the hands of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). It was not until December 14th that responsibility for police duties at sea was fully transferred to the national police forces.

From July 2010 to February 2020, Superintendente Lino da Silva Saldanha was in command of the UPM. From 2013 to 2015, interim Inspector Chefe Luís da Costa led UPM.

tasks

UPM divers

UPM ensures sovereignty over the sea and monitors the maritime borders in cooperation with the navy . In addition to securing borders, combating drug smuggling, illegal immigration, terrorism and piracy, one of UPM's main tasks is to combat illegal fishing and protect the marine environment. In 2017, during a joint action between UPM and Sea Shepherd, 15 Chinese fishing boats that illegally caught 40 tonnes of sharks were seized off Com .

In the event of accidents at sea, UPM also acts as a rescue organization.

Furnishing

UPM's motto:
"We are proud to serve at sea"

UPM's headquarters are in Dili on Avenida Marginal in the Bidau Lecidere district . The quay was built with the help of the US Navy and inaugurated in 2018. There are bases in Batugade , Atabae , on Atauro in Beloi and in Com. More are planned in Loré , Oecusse-Ambeno , Suai Loro , Betano , Beaco and Karabela .

At the end of 2018, the UPM had 178 civil servants, the UPM website indicates a total number of only 120 civil servants.

The UPM had 13 boats in May 2012, of which only four were operational, which is why the Navy handed over the NRTL Dili and the NRTL Hera to UPM. The two patrol boats belong to the South Korean Chamsuri class. In July the PNTL received a new boat called the Lusitania which was taken over by Indonesia . In 2018, China gave East Timor another boat named Kay Rala Xanana , named after the East Timorese politician Xanana Gusmão . This led to resentment in East Timor because the election campaign was raging at that time . The question was raised as to what right China has to determine the name of the boat and thus operate it from the point of view of some campaigners. Activists painted over the name on the boat. The motorboat NV Timor-Leste and the “Speed Boat 12” are also in service .