Lower-Ranking Policemen Grumble Over Interior Minister
Interior MInister Ken-Marti Vaher, under fire in some quarters for his intervention in the politicised Kross affair, is facing more criticism, this time from a police association that says he is managing his area of administration poorly and neglecting talented policemen in the lower ranks.
The association is a small one, with fewer than 20 members, but the head, Northern Prefecture senior constable Aare Siir, says he has the backing of all policemen, in particular rank-and-file wearers of the badge.
He told uudised.err.ee that the association sent a letter of concern to leading MPs because the ministry, in the view of the organization, has "not been able to address all legal problems with sufficient thoroughness."
The main complaints from the organization are that that the minister has failed to implement the Police and Border Guard Act in an egalitarian way, and that education, seniority and special skill sets are not factored in sufficiently for lower-ranking police officials.
"Documents on employment relationships are in effect forged, creating misleading grounds for the employer not to pay bonuses and aptitude-based remuneration, while enabling payment of bonuses to senior officials regardless of their workload and abilities," he said.
Reimbursement of travel expenses is another bone of contention. One of the interior minister's regulations, which allows compensation to be paid selectively, is unconstitutional, says the association.
The ministry is said to be preparing a response.