The country lacks policemen. Persons interested are searched on the phone!
As ERB has found out, advertisements inviting people to become policemen can be found on the Internet, in educational institutions and in the subway. They can even call you home and suggest that you change your job. The starting salary of a policeman is 800 thousand BRB. An ERB journalist suddenly found it out when he received a phone call on his day-off (!) and was asked if he wanted … to change his job.
The personnel department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not admit that it lacks policemen but at the same time it does not deny the fact that they are distributing advertisements. An employee of Pershmaiski District Department of the Interior said that they took lists of people below the age of 25 in military registration and enlistment offices and higher educational institutions and phoned them.
Employee: We are not understaffed, there are vacancies all the time and it is common practice. We advertise, send information to the Internet and higher educational institutions. We get lists of people from educational institutions or military registration and enlistment offices, phone them and offer jobs.
Here is a list of requirements for future policemen: to be below the age of 25, to have education (special or higher). It does not matter whether you served in the army or not. An ERB reporter tried to find placement for her husband in Kastrychnitski District Department of the Interior.
ERB: My husband is 23 years old; he graduated from a pedagogical college and served in the army. What can you offer?
Personnel department: He can become a policeman-driver or a patrol policeman.
ERB: How much will he be getting?
Personnel department: About 700-800 thousands. That’s an average salary, a starting sum.
Most candidates are weeded out after the medical check-up. By the way, it lasts for more than a month. The personnel department refused to say what reasons for a refusal could be. However, they assured ERB: if a candidate has gone through all the tests and there are no more vacancies, departments of other districts can offer their vacancies. Even girls “off the street” may become members of the police.
ERB asked the acting head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affaires Aleh Slepchanka if appearance of vacancies was a routine business in the police.
Aleh Slepchanka: Well, why call it routine business? Some people come, others go. It is necessary to recruit people who would suit us according to their intellectual qualities, decency and purity taking into account law violations. In this case we have to search members in the society.
By the way, there is no problem with police being understaffed in the regions. The head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affaires refused to answer ERB’s question about the number of policemen the capital needed.
Aleh Slepchanka: We are not going to announce the number of our personnel. Despite our openness – it is not the number to be announced. Believe me, we have been conducting staff reduction for several years.
ERB tried to find a job for a person working in another field but who was also suitable for the police and compared the salary he could be getting. A graduate of Minsk Linguistic University can become a school teacher. A teacher of French would be getting 430 thousands (monthly wage of 240 thousands) in Minsk school #132.
A milkmaid can get the wage of 380-400 thousands and a cottage working on “Plavuchae” collective farm.
“Plavuchae” : An agricultural town is being built, cottages are being allocated. The toilet and the bathroom will be indoors. The only problem is the absence of the central heating – you will need wood for it. Gas is planned to be available in the houses later. An average wage will be 380-400 thousands, you can’t get more. But it can increase in summer. Our milkmaids were getting 500 and more thousands in the summer.
Thus, a career of a policeman without education is more attractive than a teaching career after graduating from a university.
The personnel department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not admit that it lacks policemen but at the same time it does not deny the fact that they are distributing advertisements. An employee of Pershmaiski District Department of the Interior said that they took lists of people below the age of 25 in military registration and enlistment offices and higher educational institutions and phoned them.
Employee: We are not understaffed, there are vacancies all the time and it is common practice. We advertise, send information to the Internet and higher educational institutions. We get lists of people from educational institutions or military registration and enlistment offices, phone them and offer jobs.
Here is a list of requirements for future policemen: to be below the age of 25, to have education (special or higher). It does not matter whether you served in the army or not. An ERB reporter tried to find placement for her husband in Kastrychnitski District Department of the Interior.
ERB: My husband is 23 years old; he graduated from a pedagogical college and served in the army. What can you offer?
Personnel department: He can become a policeman-driver or a patrol policeman.
ERB: How much will he be getting?
Personnel department: About 700-800 thousands. That’s an average salary, a starting sum.
Most candidates are weeded out after the medical check-up. By the way, it lasts for more than a month. The personnel department refused to say what reasons for a refusal could be. However, they assured ERB: if a candidate has gone through all the tests and there are no more vacancies, departments of other districts can offer their vacancies. Even girls “off the street” may become members of the police.
ERB asked the acting head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affaires Aleh Slepchanka if appearance of vacancies was a routine business in the police.
Aleh Slepchanka: Well, why call it routine business? Some people come, others go. It is necessary to recruit people who would suit us according to their intellectual qualities, decency and purity taking into account law violations. In this case we have to search members in the society.
By the way, there is no problem with police being understaffed in the regions. The head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affaires refused to answer ERB’s question about the number of policemen the capital needed.
Aleh Slepchanka: We are not going to announce the number of our personnel. Despite our openness – it is not the number to be announced. Believe me, we have been conducting staff reduction for several years.
ERB tried to find a job for a person working in another field but who was also suitable for the police and compared the salary he could be getting. A graduate of Minsk Linguistic University can become a school teacher. A teacher of French would be getting 430 thousands (monthly wage of 240 thousands) in Minsk school #132.
A milkmaid can get the wage of 380-400 thousands and a cottage working on “Plavuchae” collective farm.
“Plavuchae” : An agricultural town is being built, cottages are being allocated. The toilet and the bathroom will be indoors. The only problem is the absence of the central heating – you will need wood for it. Gas is planned to be available in the houses later. An average wage will be 380-400 thousands, you can’t get more. But it can increase in summer. Our milkmaids were getting 500 and more thousands in the summer.
Thus, a career of a policeman without education is more attractive than a teaching career after graduating from a university.
