At the same time as crime is rising, civilian employees are fleeing the Police Agency.
Anna Owens, national president of Saco-S, testifies to widespread dissatisfaction among the organization’s members.
– I would say that the boat is leaking, she says.
In recent years, more and more civilian employees have left the police authority. Now the negotiating organization Sweden’s central organization of academics, Saco-S, is sounding the alarm about the development.
Of the Police Authority’s roughly 38,000 employees, almost 15,000 are civilian employees. This includes, among other things, forensic scientists, analysts and criminal investigators. There, many are dissatisfied with leadership, pay and also highlight a culture of silence.
– We have now seen indications that the situation has worsened, says Anna Owens, chairman of Saco-S.
Saco-S consists of 19 Saco associations that together represent almost 90,000 state-employed academics.
“The boat is leaking”
Already a year ago, a member survey conducted by Akavia and Saco-S showed that three out of four civilian employees within the Police Authority wanted to change jobs. A gloomy picture that has not brightened, according to Anna Owens.
– I would say that the boat is leaking. Among other things, we have preliminary investigation managers who sit with investigations piled up. We have graduates who lack opportunities for career and salary development. They feel that their skills are not being used to their full potential.
Losing competence
Several members also testify to an increasingly high workload combined with stagnant pay. Anna Owens believes that the police authority is losing competence in a time where the development of crime is going in the wrong direction.
– The police is an activity with many different types of competences and it is together that we can get results. The politicians are keen to talk about more police officers on the street, which is an important part. But to be able to carry out investigations when a crime has occurred, it is necessary that the competence stays within the police instead of academics choosing to go to others, says Anna Owens.