Every other police officer in Lithuania is eligible for retirement and the rising average age is a problem, says Police Commissioner General Renatas Požėla.
“The average age [of police officers] is 38 years,” the police chief said on Friday while presenting last year’s activity report. “The good news is that we have aged only one year over (the past) five years.”
However, the problem is that “the organisation is ageing in terms of the length of service of its employees,” according to Požėla.
“Today, unfortunately, every second officer has the right to leave the service and retire,” he said.
The commissioner general also noted that the number of officers in Lithuania declined by 172 in 2022 compared to the previous year.
He called on politicians to take a responsible approach to police-related legislative changes, warning that “careless discussion” could prompt officers to “leave the service en masse” due to uncertainty.
Lithuania’s police recorded 45,700 criminal offences in 2022, around 3,200 more than in 2021 and similar to pre-pandemic levels. In total, almost 29,000 criminal offences were investigated last year.
According to the police chief, the number of recorded serious and very serious crimes has fallen from 4,384 to 2,507 over the last decade.
However, the number of thefts increased by 1,900 in 2022 compared to 2021, totalling around 10,400 cases.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
