Interior minister’s search for new police chief was time-consuming and tough, with many a mishap along the way – such as the admitted failure of initial competition; proposal to appoint prisons manager Priit Kama triggering a storm in parliamentary committee.
Come spring, the minister Vaher set up another Vaher, whose Christian name is Elmar – a man with years of successful career in police, yet differing with current leadership in quite a few issues. To that Vaher, Legal Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, including former police Laanet and Seppik, agreed without an argument: the appointment of Elmar Vaher being accompanied by the harmonious sound of uniform approval. The trust granted by politicians was remarkable; up to now, the man seems to have justified it to the fullest.
On the one hand, he is obviously filled with inward motivation to forge the four organisations, formally united four years ago, into a tight-knit force by taking steps formerly resented by policemen and border guards alike. On the other hand, he does have an excellent working knowledge of police and its organisation; therefore, he has not needed a lengthy adjustment period. His authority and expertise are harder to challenge than with possible entrants from other fields. And, he would be unlikely to swallow professional-sounding murmurings on the impossibility of certain tasks. One gets the feeling that with this appointment, interior minister and other politicians have indeed hit the bull’s eye.
With simple, plain and forceful words, Mr Vaher, as head of Police and Border Guard Board, proclaims the goals of the organisation, setting the tone for folks gathered (four years ago) into the merged mega-agency. There being ample proof of how messy the things have been – a mixture of inner grudges and a touch of excessive formality.
Units, though overlapping in their activities, were not linked together; attitudes like «a border guard would not think of doing simple police tasks» proving hard to die. Etc.
The scandal that felled the previous police boss (fines imposed on basis of non-verified speed measurers) also served to expose the fact that support services were carefully concentrated in the headquarters, while the main activities went somewhat neglected.
Will Elmar Vaher prove a success with all that he has tackled? Time will tell. Even so, his purpose driven manners and management style make for a mighty good impression.