Police set for year in Timor

New Zealand police will be sent to East Timor for a year under the umbrella of the United Nations mission, says Police Minister Annette King.

The UN mission was established last month and took over responsibility for policing from the Australian-led joint taskforce.

New Zealand sent police to help restore the peace in East Timor after violence in May, including widespread gang warfare, looting and arson.

The contingent of 25 is due to end its three-month stint on October 10.

Ms King said the police officers had performed well in challenging conditions.

The community policing style of work had been valued, she said.

The next contingent, of a similar size, would be sent to East Timor for six months.

At this stage, the Government was expecting to commit to a 12-month deployment with the United Nations mission.

Ms King said the deployment had been fully funded to ensure there was no impact on policing in this country.

New Zealand police served in East Timor before it gained independence in 2002 and have also worked in Namibia and Cyprus.

- NZPA