New policemen – new pay and benefits

President Dmitry Medvedev has signed legislation increasing the pay of Russian policemen.

A police lieutenant’s starting salary is now 45,000 rubles, almost double the previous wage.

Among other new social benefits, officers who have served for 10 years will now be eligible for a lump-sum payment toward a house. The exact amount will be decided on an individual basis.

Only cops who pass the reaccreditation exams mandated by the ongoing police reform will be eligible for the new benefits package.

Police Chief Rashid Nurgaliev has already warned that officers with a large gut might only pass the new benchmark if they meet all other requirements. The Interior Ministry also plans to introduce psychological tests designed to assess a police officer’s inclination to accept bribes.

According to official data, 312 officers have already taken their reaccreditation exams. Nearly 300 of them passed.

The Russian police force is currently undergoing a complete transformation, which will see every police officer tested and either fired or reinstated. One-third of the staff is to be dismissed in the process.

The reform, originally intended to have been completed before July, was extended until August.

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