Between 2017 and 2020, in three years out of four, the number of people leaving the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) exceeded the number of people who joined up. The gap, admittedly, was not too wide, and since in 2018 the “employment rate” was 86, there was even an increase by five employees over the four years. But last year, the year of the corona protests, there was a hard downturn. The PPA lost 615 employees. Only 260 replaced them.
In the entire sphere of internal security, the personnel replacement rate was -401, which means that the change is noticeable compared to previous years. In the first nine months of this year, the number of people resigning from service will again exceed that of newcomers by more than 300. PPA has been hit the hardest again: 58 percent of the 662 people leaving the internal security sphere are from PPA, 19 percent from the Rescue Board.
Four hundred euros per person short of goal
As always, it's about money and salary, which gives Elmar Vaher, serving his final year as the PPA director general, reason to note that “in the current dangerous security situation, we have fewer police officers than ever before”. The PPA has had for years 200-250 vacancies which cannot be filled with current salaries. “We have a systemic shortage of people,” he stated.