The Romanian Police has a personnel deficit greater than 20,000 people, Prime Minister Mihai Tudose said on Monday, July 24, News.ro reported. He announced the possibility of hiring the 2018 graduating police classes starting immediately to help solve the issue.

“They are high school graduates now but they should be hired because we start from the premise that those who already spent two years in school are better trained than someone who is brought from the street and enlisted in the Police,” Tudose said.

Tudose met on Monday with Iulian Surugiu, the leader of the National Union of Police Agents in Romania, and agreed on rapidly drafting a new Policeman Statute and on hiring at least 4,000 people this year.

The issue of Police under staffing emerged after the death of a local policeman last week. Sorin Vezeteu, 38, was killed in the Suceava train station, in North-Eastern Romania, on July 20, after an attacker stabbed him repeatedly. The policeman was assaulted from behind, with no apparent reason. Some 20 stabs were found on his body.

Reacting to the Suceava crime case, the Prime Minister said no policeman would patrol by themselves from now on. “The patrols will no longer be covered by one person. They would risk their lives absolutely gratuitously,” Tudose said, quoted by Mediafax.

In its turn, the Diamant union argued that half of the Police force is made up of support staff, making it difficult to form two-policeman patrols.

“The Romanian Police is forged. We are told on paper that there are 80,000 policemen when in reality they are about 40,000. The other 40,000 are chameleon policemen, from the support structures, for instance, psychologists, physicians, singers, accountants. All the specialties that in other ministries are listed as public functionaries, with us [e.n. the Interior Affairs Ministry] they are listed as policemen. The reality is being forged. On paper, we have 80,000 policemen, but on the streets, in stations, the policemen are operating by themselves,” Emil Păscuţ, the leader of the Diamant union, said, quoted by Mediafax.

Referring to the same case Carmen Dan, the Interior Affairs Minister, said a clear legislation supporting the authority of policemen is needed, as are the intervention means by which these can apply the law.

“We need to bring well-prepared people into the Police. This kind of situations no longer have to take place, we need to have the means by which policemen can intervene when the law is broken. We need a well-shaped legislation that supports the policeman’s authority. This is where we will act in the coming period,” Carmen Dan said, quoted by Agerpres.

The minister also said that the human resource deficit in the local police force needs to be covered.

“Regardless of how hard it is, we need to admit that, at present, policemen are alone in many situations, when patrolling, because there is not enough personnel. […] This cannot change tomorrow, but, just as we managed to bring some people into the system in a few months, I would also want that from now on to have an approach on what can be done right away and what can be done in time to cover this serious deficit,” Dan said.

The Suceava attacker, who had been convicted twice before in Spain for acts of violence, admitted the crime immediately after committing it and told the policemen he did not regret anything. He was arrested on Friday, July 21.

Policeman Sorin Vezeteu was 38 years old and had been working with the Romanian Police for the past 15 years. He was married and had two children.

editor@romania-insider.com