New Police Chief: Decisions Must Be Made in the Field
Elmar Vaher, who was appointed by the Cabinet on Thursday to lead the Police and Border Guard Board, said that decisions should be made on the ground, where situations occur.
Vahet said, speaking on ETV on Thursday, that he knows what a policeman wants, what the organization is capable of, what its aim is and why the three areas [police, border guards, and citizenship and migration departments] were united into one organization.
“Each day we answer 500-600 calls, help and save people. We catch dozens of criminals, stops dozens of people on the border who are not welcome in the country and issue hundreds of identity documents daily. The tasks are very important for our nation and I believe this organization can complete these jobs even better,” said Vaher.
Vaher, who has previously headed Estonia's major crimes department and the North Prefecture, will take over the position on May 2.
Raivo Küüt, the former director general, stepped down at the beginning of March after a scandal broke last year in which police officers knowingly issued 178 speeding fines with an uncalibrated radar gun.
The Police and Border Guard Board is the nation's largest state organization, with a staff of 5,800.