Law & Order wages to get another lift

Photo: Karli Saul/SCANPIX

Next year, 4,100 Police and Border Guard Board employees will get a raise – over 75 per cent of officialdom thereof. According to interior minister Ken-Marti Vaher, the new salaries system will better reflect work load and specific character of regions. «First and foremost, we desire to raise basic wages for police officers with lower incomes and those with higher degree of job-related risk,» explained the minister.

The lowest basic wages for police officers are set to rise by 7.3 per cent minimum. Wage rise at eight lowest salary levels will cover over 3,000 policemen. For instance; thereby, a raise goes to 371 patrol unit officers, whose wages rise by at least five per cent; on the average, patrol police wages will rise by 9.75 per cent. Minimum patrol wages will rise from €720 to €775.

For all constables, wages will rise 4.4 per cent minimum; their average raise being 7.4 per cent. Minimum wage for constables will rise from $855 to €900. In 2013, wages of 266 constables rose by an average of 14 per cent.

In addition to that, regional benefits will increase in both Northern Prefecture and Ida-Viru County, by 50 and 62 per cent respectively.

«This year, a uniform wage system was created at PBGB, to put an end to wage gaps between officers doing the same kind of job. In 2014, we will make the waged better conform to work load and specific character of regions,» said Mr Vaher.

Wages of criminal police officers will rise as well, primarily with drug police and criminal investigators at prefectures. Drug police salary fund will increase by at least ten per cent. By that, investments continue into fight against serious and hidden crime; in previous years, interior ministry has, among other things, increased capabilities to investigate corruption and detection of criminal income, said the ministry.

Wages of criminal investigators, at prefectures, will rise by at least 6.3 per cent, the average rise being 13 per cent. To strengthen criminal police across Estonia, wages of 412 criminal processors employed in counties will be raised. Wage rise befalls investigators, senior investigators, and specialised investigators in prefectures (except for junior investigators). The lowest salary for criminal processors will rise from €855 to €975.

In 2014, the entire internal security budget is billed at €287.4m of state revenue; an 8.1 per cent increase year-on-year. Of interior ministry’s next year budget, salary fund for policemen, border guards, rescue workers and other people involved in providing security makes 54.6 per cent or €157.0m.