SPO is now all sewing with salaries

The new Government Proposal for a Decision on Amending the Decision on Special Allowance foresees a 30 percent allowance for almost all officers in departments and groups of the criminal police, so that they will have their next salary at least five percent higher than their colleagues in the Special Police Department (SPO).

SPO officers were the only ones in the Police Administration system this summer who did not receive a 10 percent supplement to their basic salary, even though they are engaged in the most sensitive and demanding jobs because they act according to the orders of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, which has now led to the fact that their salaries will be lower compared to almost everyone in the criminal police.

Insiders claim that in such a way the work of SPO officers, who in the last six months alone acted in several major investigations of the SDT: against the former first lady of the judiciary Vesne Medenica, president of the Commercial Court Blaž Jovanić, the former administration of the Plantation, the theft of a truckload of cigarettes that should have been burned by the Revenue and Customs Administration...

For years, salaries in SPO were higher than other colleagues because they have an approved special supplement, which until April of this year was up to 45 percent of the basic salary, but when the new calculation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs came into force - after the clause that their past work and benefited seniority cannot be counted, but only effective, came to a situation where their cumulative salary was reduced by 10 to 15 percent.

In June, a decision was made that approved a 10 percent supplement to the basic salary of everyone in the Police Administration system, but then that increase was bypassed by the SPO, because there was allegedly no legal basis to pay them two supplements because they had already been approved for special ones.

Criminology Supplement

With the latest amendment to the decision, the Government plans to approve a special allowance for officers in the Department for the fight against drugs, the Department for special investigative methods, the Department for the protection of witnesses, the Group for the suppression of criminal offenses in the area of ​​blood offenses, the Group for special operational support within the Department for the suppression of serious crimes, Group 1,215 within the Department for Criminal Intelligence, the Group for the fight against corruption, the Group for the implementation of financial investigations, the Group for the suppression of blood and sexual offenses, attacks on journalists e representatives of the media, the Group for International Targeted Searches within the Department for International Operational Police Cooperation - INTERPOL-EUROPOL SELEC...

In the explanation, the Government stated that it was necessary to amend the article of the Decision on the special allowance, given that the internal organization and systematization of jobs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Police Directorate was changed, in such a way that there are no longer individual organizational units whose officers were entitled to the special allowance, that is, the job descriptions of individual organizational units were also changed.

"Due to alignment with the valid Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector - Article 18, as a basis for making a decision, it is necessary to amend the relevant decision, that is, to supplement it in such a way that certain organizational units of the Anti-Crime Sector of the Police Administration have a special supplement," the document states.

The proposed decision also provides for the deletion of the Support and Logistics Unit due to the fact that, according to the valid act on internal organization and systematization, it no longer exists.

This summer, the Government by Decision provided for a supplement of up to a maximum of 30 percent for the chief inspector and inspector of the first class in the Directorate for Security and Supervisory Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, who were given police powers and titles in August of this year by the Rulebook on Internal Organization and Systematization of Jobs in addition to the Law on Internal Affairs.

The figure of 50 is unattainable

Due to the fact that, if the proposal is adopted, almost everyone in the criminal police will have higher salaries than the SPO, it is questionable how that department will be filled, even though the Rulebook on the internal systematization of jobs stipulates that 50 officers work there.

There are now only about 20 officers in the SPO, and many more experienced inspectors and experts from specialized fields with the titles required to work in that department, only now after this supplement for others in the criminal police will not want to transfer to the SPO because of the volume of work and demanding police tasks, but also because of the salaries that do not deviate from other departments and organizational units with incomparably easier work.

In addition, the reason why many do not want to work in SPO is that they are paid only 32 overtime hours per month, although working in that department often requires much longer work engagement.

Do they also need a 60 percent supplement?

In August, the government adopted two amendments that provide for a 33 percent increase in the special allowance for judges, prosecutors and employees of the judicial authorities and the state prosecutor's office, who deal with cases of the fight against corruption, organized crime, war crimes and terrorism.

According to the previous decision, the special allowance amounted to a maximum of 45 percent of their basic salary, and based on this amendment, that upper limit was raised to 60 percent of their basic salary.

As the officers of the SPO act in cases under the jurisdiction of the SDT, it would be logical for them to also raise the amount provided for the special allowance.

"In this way, the material and financial position of employees in the judiciary and prosecutor's office who deal with cases in the field of fighting against organized crime, corruption, terrorism and war crimes is being improved," stated the Government's decision this summer.