“This change is due to the new Statute of Internal Service, which entered into force on New Year’s Day,” Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė told a press conference on Thursday.
“Increased funding from the state budget is not all. It is important that it is properly allocated and used. This responsibility rests on the shoulders of the heads of institutions,” the minister said.
The increase in wages for officers was also due to the adoption of the new remuneration systems for statutory bodies, according to the ministry.
The police budget was given EUR 14 million to implement the new law and raise wages for officers.
Police Commissioner General Renatas Požėla said it is still difficult to say how much the average salary of a police officer will rise. Specific figures will be available next week when officers will be paid for January 2024.
Meanwhile, officers at the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) will be paid an average of EUR 130 more, after taxes, said Rustamas Liubajevas, head of the VSAT.
He specified that the minimum salary for fresh VSAT officers would be EUR 1,030 from this year.
The legislation-linked wage increases are also observed at the Fire and Rescue Department, the Financial Crime Investigation Service and the Public Security Service.
More than 18,000 officers work in all statutory bodies of the internal service system in Lithuania. The total number of unfilled jobs accounts for around 16% of the established positions.