The lack of officers impacts the police’s goal
A tight situation in the job market has prevented the goal of securing 450 extra officers, says Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (S). The chairman of the Police Union, Heino Kegel, calls it disgraceful that the goal from the police agreement has not been reached, as reported by TV 2.
According to the minister of justice, only 170 extra officers have been added since the agreement at the end of 2020. Hummelgaard explains that the current competition for labor and a lack of qualified applicants are the primary reasons. The minister emphasizes that he takes the responsibility very seriously.
The 450 extra officers were supposed to increase the total number of police officers to around 11,700. However, according to the National Police’s key figures, there was a shortage of over 260 officers by the end of March this year. Heino Kegel points out that tasks such as border control, demonstrations, and guarding duties worsen the situation for the already pressured police force. He suggests reintroducing pay during the theoretical part of police training as a possible solution.
Peter Hummelgaard is open to all ideas but has not committed to a specific solution yet. Several political parties also express concern. Legal spokesperson Karina Lorentzen (SF) calls the situation “very unfortunate,” while Zenia Stampe of the Danish Social Liberal Party characterizes it as “highly concerning.” Both agree with Kegel that pay throughout the entire police training is necessary. Mai Mercado, legal spokesperson for the Conservative People’s Party, believes that the focus should be on improving education.
All the critical parties are part of the police agreement, which originally aimed to set the finances of the police and the prosecution service for 2021-2023, but now also applies to 2024.