The result of implementation of the Strategy of the Police Administration Development is far from satisfactory – more than 60% envisaged obligation is not fulfilled.
At first sight, the strategy is comprehensive, since it envisages activities in key areas for the police service reform, such as fight against crime, citizens’ safety, fight against corruption and better human resources management. However, this strategy is not too ambitious. It also envisages a number of measures which actually represent the everyday police work, which is pointless part of the strategy.
The implementation of the strategy is satisfactory only if we look at the technical measures, but the first positive shifts have occurred in the field of human resources management.
The Police still has problems in human resources management. The citizens think likewise: almost one half of Montenegrin citizens believes that the police personnel are being recruited through political connection.
Several documents made by the Ministry of Interior and Police Administration have recognized the lack of accurate estimations of the necessary number of employees and other shortcomings, such as unclear law stipulations regarding promotion, and lack of long-term recruitment policy at the Police Academy, which later negatively reflects on Ministry of Interior and Police Administration.
Nevertheless, even though correctly identified, problems are not being solved. Current strategy envisaged the adoption of a five-year projection of the necessary number of police officers with Police Academy, which should have been realised by the end of 2016. Therefore, human resource in the largest public administration body is still being managed spontaneously and unplanned.
We remind that the European Commission has pointed out in its Montenegro 2016 Report the need to continue the police reform by ensuring a centralised and transparent recruitment process. In this respect, a positive development is the establishment of separate service within the Ministry with the mandate to take care of the human resource management, planning of the trainings and education, as well as the career system monitoring.
In addition to streamlining cumbersome Police service which lacks specialised personnel, in the remainder of the year, Police Administration has to simplify its structure by reducing the number of managers and the number of Security centers, in order to improve its internal communication and thus, contribute to efficiency in its operational work.
Aleksandra Vavić
