Cuts in Administrative Departments Allow Salary Hikes for 4,000 Cops
Three quarters of police officers are to receive a wage increase from the start of next year, with those currently earning below average and those working in high risk areas set to benefit the most.
A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, Mihkel Loide, told uudised.err.ee on Tuesday that patrolmen will receive on average a 9.75 percent salary increase, with the minimum salary rising from 720 to 775 euros per month.
Officers in the Criminal Police Department and investigators at local police stations will also see their monthly incomes increase, by 6.3 to 10 percent.
Much of the wage increases will be funded by cutting staff in the planning and coordinating sections of the force.
“If a new policeman must receive confirmation from nine police officials before receiving a firearm, then there is something definitely wrong,” Police Chief Elmar Vaher told Eesti Päevaleht on Tuesday.