More than 20 new recruits to the Police Directorate have decided to leave the service and return their police badges and assigned weapons in the first ten days of work, and several dozen more are considering whether to leave the police profession forever, "Vijesti" has learned from multiple sources in that institution.
In just the first two days of service, from January 12th to 14th, around 30 new police officers wrote to the UP management that due to work assignments outside their place of residence, they were considering submitting a request to terminate their employment contract.
Several young police officers explained to "Vijesti" that they have given up or are considering giving up their police careers because they are employed outside their place of residence, which requires additional financial expenses...
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced to "Vijesti" that a decision was made to establish employment in the Police Directorate for an indefinite period of time for 366 candidates who applied for the public call, in accordance with applicable regulations and the needs of the service.
In their response, they confirmed that around 20 candidates did not continue their engagement in the Police Directorate, as they stated, for subjective and objective socio-economic reasons, as well as due to distance from their place of residence.
"These are candidates who applied for multiple jobs and who, due to the need to fill vacant positions, were assigned outside their place of residence, which they did not accept for the reasons stated," the Ministry of Interior's response states.
Due to the announcement that the personnel exodus could continue, UP leaders are considering making a concession and returning some young employees, who were sent from northern municipalities to the south by distribution decisions, to their home cities as assistance.
"We note that the Police Directorate functions as a clearly regulated system based on the principles of hierarchy and subordination, which imply the cumulative fulfillment of the rights and obligations of both employees and employers," the response reads.
The largest number of police officers, as stated in the Ministry of Interior's response, is deployed in Podgorica (172), followed by Nikšić (32), Bijelo Polje (24), Pljevlja (19) and Bar (17).
"Following are Rožaje and Berane (14 each), Ulcinj (12), Plav (8), Spuž and Kolašin (7 each), Budva and Tuzi (7 each), Andrijevica (5), Gusinje (4) and Herceg Novi (4). Three officers are deployed in Danilovgrad and Petnjica, while two are deployed in Zeta and Šavnik. One police officer is deployed in Cetinje, Mojkovac and Tivat," the Ministry of Interior's response reads.
Young police officers began their work assignments even though they did not complete the mandatory training and courses for that job, and they are required to become qualified to perform police duties through basic police training, in accordance with applicable regulations, within a year of starting their employment.
"Basic police training represents an important segment of professional training for persons who are starting work in the Police Directorate for the first time, especially for candidates who do not have previous police education. In this context, the development of a new Basic Police Training Plan is in the final stage, which aims to improve the quality and efficiency of the training process, through modern teaching methods, a combination of theoretical and practical work, as well as additional strengthening of competencies in the areas of human rights protection, communication with citizens, conflict resolution and dealing with complex security situations. The training plan will be aligned with the applicable legal framework, operational needs of the service and modern standards of police work," the institution states.
As they explained, this ensures that all newly employed police officers acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and professional values, so that they can responsibly and efficiently perform police duties in the interest of the safety of citizens and the community.
Due to a serious personnel deficit in the Police Administration system, the Ministry of Interior issued a public call for the employment of 815 new police officers in mid-January last year.
Almost 1.400 applications were received in response to the public call, but after the selection process, that is, after testing and checking psycho-physical abilities, security checks, integrity assessments, and asset questionnaires, only a quarter of the candidates remained.
At the end of 2025, the Ministry of Interior again announced a public call for the employment of 514 new police officers, which was supposed to last until January 20, but that deadline was extended by another 20 days..
"As you are already aware, due to formal legal reasons, on January 20, 2026, and in accordance with Article 6 of the Rules on the Implementation of a Special Procedure for the Employment of Police Officers, a correction was made to the public invitation for the implementation of a special procedure for the employment of police officers for the needs of the Police Directorate, as a result of which the public invitation was extended by 20 days.
To date (January 21, 2025), the number of applications submitted and received in response to the public call is around 290. However, this number is not final, taking into account the fact that the Ministry of Internal Affairs receives applications submitted by registered mail, as well as the fact that the deadline for submitting applications has been extended, so the final number of applications cannot be specified at this time.", The Public Relations Team stated in the response.
153 police officers to retire by the end of 2025
At the end of 2025, 153 Police Administration employees exercised their right to retire under favorable conditions.
These are requests from employees for retirement under favorable conditions, which were signed during 2023, 2024 and partly during 2025, by the previous and current director Lazar Šćepanović.
Montenegro has lost a quarter of its police officers in the past five years because numerous experienced personnel decided to take advantage of legal benefits and retire.
For years, the age structure of Montenegrin police officers has been affecting the attrition rate, and the Government's document on the situation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 2023 states that at that time, about 75 percent of officers were between the ages of 40 and 67.
Of these, as the document states, a significant number are eligible to retire by the end of 2026.
The lack of staff has been hindering the smooth operation of the service for years.
Bonus video:
