Police begin to feel budget squeeze, resignations up, recruitment down

The Warsaw Police Headquarters is trying to economize by drastically r educing the number of new recruits. This year it plans to take on only around 1,000 new policemen whereas last year it recruited 3,600. Since the beginning of 2002 the Poznan Police Headquarters employed only six new policemen. By the end of the year it is planning to hire another 58, but has around 220 vacancies. "We have strictly limited number of recruits, the cuts will mean less policemen will patrol the streets," said an officer from the Poznan headquarters. The situation has further deteriorated by the inc reasing number of policemen who are resigning. Across the whole country in the first quarter of 2002, 650 policemen resigned with only 108 replacing them. A Poznan officer says the main reason for these resignations is hard work as well as poor salaries. "It is not like an eight hour job behind a desk. With shift work they often have to get up at the middle of the night, or stay at work much longer with only a moments notice. An assistant c ommissioner with a 15-years experience earns just zl. 2,300," he added. (Gazeta Wyborcza, May 11-12, p. 9) A.Z.