Rift among police over ‘golden boys’
Divisions have emerged within the Hellenic Police (ELAS) after the relocation in recent weeks to Attica and Thessaloniki of hundreds of officers, who are being paid an additional allowance of 4,200 euros per month, in an attempt to boost visible policing in the country’s two largest urban centers.
The decision to deploy more than 700 police officers was taken at the beginning of the year, aiming to boost citizens’ sense of security and to reverse the impression among a portion of the public that the government was failing to impose public order. The relevant orders entailed the transfer of police officers from provincial areas to the Attica Security Directorate, to staff crime prevention and suppression teams, “due to increased service needs.”
More specifically, officers have been recruited from Arta, Grevena, Evritania, Karditsa and elsewhere to form police squads patrolling areas of western Attica and beyond, with high crime rates. In Athens, the number of crime prevention units (OPKE) has increased from 30 to 74, while the number of teams in Thessaloniki has increased accordingly.
The decision, however, has triggered reactions within ELAS, while at the same highlighting chronic problems related to the management of human resources and more specifically the transfer process. These reactions stem in particular from the very large sums of money paid as compensation to relocated police officers.
As a result, disparities have been created among officers from crime prevention teams on duty, with some getting a salary of around 1,000 euros per month and relocated ones receiving more than 5,000 per month, to the chagrin of the former.
The allowance is intended to cover the costs of accommodation, food and other expense. Some reports even indicate that a ‘black market’ has developed around the issue of accommodation, with a woman known as ‘Marcella’ collecting payments to secure cheap rooms for officers.
