Raivo Aeg seeks no new term at Security Police

Photo: Toomas Huik

Security Police Board director general Raivo Aeg (50) unexpectedly told his colleagues at Friday’s Security Police (Kapo) anniversary of his decision not to apply for another term in office.

«I don’t want this organisation to just run in circles, stuck in its routine,» Mr Aeg said yesterday, in comment of his decision.

In the opinion of many, Mr Aeg has been a success at heading security service these past five years. Therefore, his Friday announcement came as a surprise to many. Up until last weeks, in political circles, the talk was that for Mr Aeg to continue would probably be the best, as he had proven himself a good leader. Indeed, Minister of the Interior Ken-Marti Vaher had proposed to Mr Aeg that he continue.

«Well, I had my considerations. First of all, I had questions to ask of myself, as five years leading Kapo meant extremely busy working days – every single one of them,» said Mr Aeg.

«The question was: will I keep the same kind of an initiative – or will I fall into a routine. It was time to be honest with myself, evaluate my perspective as a leader,» he added.

As his successor, Mr Aeg would like a person understanding security. «I wouldn’t prefer or recommend anybody, but that person ought to care for this organisation, show statesmanship in everything,» said he.

In the light of these words, an ideal candidate would be the recent interior ministry secretary general Tarmo Türkson, possessing years of experience heading up external intelligence service. However, he may stumble at his rather cold personal relationship with interior minister Ken-Marti Vaher.

Mr Aeg rose to Security Police director general in 2008. Prior to that, he managed to lead Police Board, for two years.

Mr Aeg’s term of office at Kapo will be remembered by its first serious purge: the security service, by its own means and initiative, caught a traitor in their midst – Aleksei Dressen – and a corrupt corruption investigator Indrek Põder.

During Mr Aeg’s times, many successful police officers went to work for Kapo – after a long while, inter-establishment inner rotation launched again. Mr Aeg, having secured himself a sizeable – in Estonian terms – state pension, was not yet able to tell what he planned to do next and whether he was considering the private sector. «Right now, nothing is excluded, as there simply aren’t any decisions in this regard,» said he.

Mr Aeg’s term of office ends on June 16^th, this year.