Sat, 21 Nov 2009 4:03p.m.
By Mike McRoberts
While the long-term role of the United Nations peacekeeping force in East Timor is currently under review, New Zealand police are helping to shape how law and order will be kept there in the future.
In the relative calm of the past 18 months most security operations have been scaled back, and there has been an emphasis on community-building.
Inspector Ross Gilbert doesn't see it as much of a stretch from what he'd do back home, but this kind of community-style policing looks likely to become the blueprint for the rest of the country.
Crime across the board in Suai is down, and it's the Kiwis who have earned the praise of the UN.
New Zealand has a legacy of commitment here dating back to 1999 with the New Zealand Defence Force.
Ten years ago the people of East Timor voted for independence. A pro-Indonesian militia took exception, killing scores of civilians at the Ave Maria church.
It was the catalyst for the New Zealand government to send troops.
"The New Zealand soldiers came here quickly to help us and they were our friends," says Sister Majorie Elsa.
New Zealand's decade-long presence in the region is a source of pride for the handful of Kiwi police here.
"The locals here think of the New Zealand Army as their saviours," says Mr Gilbert. "They brought peace and security, so the white kiwi is certainly well known - wherever you go the reception is great."
Even if the UN scales back its police and peacekeeping operation, New Zealand's contribution in Suai will be remembered for some time.
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