Australia's top cop criticises UN police

CANBERRA - Australia's top policeman has given a blunt assessment of United Nations police sent to world trouble spots and said a group of Bangladeshi police sent to East Timor could be more of a hindrance than a help.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the United Nations was increasingly relying on civilian police rather than troops for security deployments, but they were often poorly trained and more comfortable policing at home.

"Nor are we likely to see overnight any major successes with the arrival in recent days of 186 police from Bangladesh to serve in Timor Leste," Keelty told Australia's national press club.

"It's a familiar story for the UN. It's hard to get donations of police skills of comparable ability from all around the world, and we find ourselves increasingly trying to help those police who are sent to help."

The United Nations is increasingly relying on police in the aftermath of the Iraq war, arguing they are often better suited than soldiers for apprehending criminals and calming rioting mobs.

Australia has around 700 police deployed to Sudan, Jordan, the Solomon Islands and East Timor, where they were sent in May this year following an outbreak of ethnic violence fuelled by fighting within the security forces. At least 21 people died and more than 150,000 were displaced.

As part of its rebuilding, East Timor has asked the United Nations for at least 800 police to help stabilise the country for a period of five years.

Australia led a force of 3200 foreign peacekeepers to end the May fighting, which pitted East Timor's police and military against one another.

There are currently 130 Australian police in the fledgling nation, helping train and rebuild the East Timor police force, and assisting the United Nations to maintain security.

Keelty said the United Nations' multi-nation approach to training East Timor's police following the country's vote for independence from Indonesia had been a clear failure.

The world body is preparing a report into the May violence and the massacre of 12 unarmed police by soldiers outside UN police headquarters in Dili.

- REUTERS