Planned legislative changes would transfer a significant number of police duties to either assistant police officers or municipal police (MuPo). According to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), the number of police officers has decreased on one hand, while on the other hand, public interest in contributing as volunteers has grown.
Since July, assistant police officers (abipolitseinikud) have been authorized to use radar to measure speed, although only police officers can issue fines. While current legislation permits volunteer police officers to assist solely in maintaining public order, the proposed legislative amendment would allow them to take on a much broader range of responsibilities.
“Estonia is a country with a relatively low number of police officers; it’s a country where the need for a sense of security among the public is very high, and therefore we need the help of volunteers to maintain that security,” said Roger Kumm, head of the Ida-Harju Police Department.
According to Kumm, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has several tasks that volunteers could handle, such as assisting in border surveillance or helping to process identification documents.
But could a volunteer police officer, for example, perform the duties of a criminal investigator?
More read: ERR.EE