The Warsaw KO councilors submitted an interpellation to the Mayor of Warsaw. It concerns the personnel situation in the municipal police. They pointed out that there are too few people serving there and too many duties imposed on them. They also touched on the topic of wage increases and lowering the age of eligibility to join the ranks of the formation.
According to Jerzy Jabraszko, spokesman for the service, there are currently about 300 vacancies in the city guard. On January 12, the Warsaw councilors of the Civic Coalition submitted an interpellation on the situation in the municipal police to Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
They drew attention to the struggle of the Warsaw City Guard with staffing problems. “There are too few guards, and they have too many tasks” – they said in an interpellation. They added that additional tasks previously performed by the police may also be redirected to the city guard. According to them, this is to be related to staffing problems in the police. Enormous officers apply for retirement. From 5.5 to even over 7 thousand officers may decide to take such a step this year.
“There are a lot of tasks, will there be more pay?”
KO councilors also point out that the legislator has been imposing new tasks and obligations on the city guard for several years. “From August 30, 2021, city guards received the power to fine drivers of electric scooters, personal transport devices and cyclists” – we read in the interpellation. As another example, KO councilors cite last year’s draft act giving city guards the right to control road traffic in relation to drivers of vehicles not authorized to move on the bus lane designated by the road manager, indicated by an appropriate road sign.
“In addition to building a positive image of the city guard, a good working atmosphere, an important issue is the amount of remuneration, which, along with the increase in the tasks imposed on the city guard and the increasing expectations placed on city guards, should be definitely higher and comparable to the salary of local government employees of the city office” – postulate the councilors .
Thus, they emphasize that the remuneration of Warsaw local government employees will increase by 5 percent from March 2023, and the managers of individual units will be able to additionally increase it by another 2.5 percent. “The total value of the increase may amount to 7.5 percent, meanwhile, according to the information available, employees of the city guard will not be subject to increases” – the councilors say in the interpellation.
To the city guard after reaching the age of majority?
In the interpellation, attention was also paid to the aging of the formation. That is why it is so important to attract young people to work in the municipal police, who will “guard Warsaw”, in accordance with the slogan of the recruitment campaign initiated by the municipal police and displayed on monitors in public transport vehicles, describe the councillors.
Therefore, they postulate lowering the age of entitlement to join the ranks of the city guard. To make this possible, they propose changes to the current act on municipal (municipal) guards in the part concerning the minimum requirements for work in municipal guards by lowering the age from 21 to 18. “A similar solution applies to the police or the army, where the lower age limit is reaching the age of majority” – they noted in the interpellation.
Trzaskowski: The situation is difficult
The subject of the situation in the Warsaw city guard was discussed at the Wednesday press conference with the participation of Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and Mayor of Rembertów Maciej Iwanicki, which was held in connection with the commissioned overpass at the intersection of Marsa and Żołnierska Streets.
– We would like to fill these vacancies, but the situation is difficult. We have recently increased the price – said Rafał Trzaskowski and drew attention to the city’s budgetary situation. – It is very difficult to get another raise. We are trying to obtain candidates for work in a different way and the new commander is working on it all the time. We hope that at least some of these vacancies will be filled, he added.
“The answer to the question will give more information”
We asked the deputy spokesman for the city hall, Jakub Leduchowski, about the possibility of raising wages in the Warsaw city guard. “As for more detailed information, we have to wait for the answer to the interpellation,” he said.
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