Police wants alleviation of language requirements

Photo: Ants Liigus

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has filed a proposal to the Interior Ministry to lower the policemen's language requirements and to raise the premium to 200 euros to police officers of the East-Viru County, the daily Postimees reported.

Raivo Kyyt, director general of the Police and Border Guard Board, made the proposal to the Interior Ministry to lower the language requirements and the raise the premium pay for the region.

At present  the B2 level language proficiency is required from police officers who work at border checkpoints, on border guard ships, border guard posts, on border guard ships, in readiness units or in the Border Guard Air Corps.

Higher, or C1 level language proficiency is required from all other police officers. The B2 requirement will be in force until September 2015 upon which C1 level proficiency will be required from them.

«We have filed the proposal of lowering the language proficiency level of policemen who work in the in lock-up and sobering-up units, in convoy, and junior of senior specialists as relying on the description the B2-level language proficiency is sufficient in those posts," said Margit Mander, press officer for the Police and Boreder Guard Board.

«Lowering of the language proficiency level has been made throughout the organization and this would ensure the biggest number of candidates in the above posts in the East-Viru County," Mander added.

The police also made a proposal of increasing the premium of the region as the number of staff had achieved a critical level as a result of which its application would be necessary already from 2013. For example there now are 108 vacancies  in the East Prefecture.

"The aim of the payment of the regional fee is to increase the pay level of the organization by a certain percentage in order to alleviate problems in connection with employment and to meet the aims set to the organization," Mander said.