Serbian police officers quitting in large numbers

It quoted New Police Union Alliance leader Momcilo Vidojevic who said that tension and pressure are the main reasons why police officers have been leaving the force for year, especially those in sensitive posts.

“We got data from the Internal Affairs Ministry (MUP) which showed that some 3,800 people, mainly police officers, quit between 2022 and 2024 when Bratislav Gasic was minister and that more than 13,000 quit between 2016 and 2022 which is alarming when we know that the MUP has some 43,000 employees. The problem isn’t retirement but quitting or being pushed out of the MUP, like I was,” he said, expressing concern over the fact that young police officers are thinking of quitting.

The MUP includes the police, fire-rescue and other services.

He said he is in contact with police officers in his new job as a truck driver and added that some of them told him the situation is unbearable. “They said they don’t know if they can stop anyone any longer,” he said.

According to him, the two dozen or more unions in the police are not dealing with the problem.

Serbian Polic Union leader Veljko Mijailovic disagreed with Vidojevic saying that the claim of 9,000 police officers quitting over the past 10 years is not right. He said his union does not have the figures showing how many officers quit the police but added that he sees no problem with personnel numbers in the MUP. His words were echoed by Independent Police Union leader Dejan Stoiljkovic who said the correct figure is 1,400 officers retiring every year and some 300 quitting.