Another troubling balance sheet is emerging from the security screening process in the State Police. According to the official version of the Police Oversight Agency, 10 officers, including 6 first-level managers, have had their security certificates revoked over suspicions related to integrity concerns, including indications of links to people from the criminal world.
What the official data says
According to the AMP, over the course of one year, 19 other officers, 11 of them first-level managers, were denied security certificates. Likewise, for 4 commissioners, this certificate has been temporarily suspended until the end of their proceedings with the justice system.
In total, 1,487 police officers are reported to have applied. Of these, 33 received a negative assessment, including rank-and-file officers as well as one employee of the Interior Ministry.
Why this certificate matters
The security certificate is the document that gives a certain category of officers access to information classified as a “State Secret.” Without this screening, they should not have access to sensitive data held by security structures.
During the application process with the National Institution for the Security of Classified Information, checks are carried out by several authorities, including SHISH, the Intelligence Agency and the police agency. According to the official data, these structures found that some applicants did not meet the conditions to be granted access to classified information.
The decision goes to the Interior Ministry and the State Police
Decisions on revoking or denying the certificate have been forwarded to the Interior Ministry and the State Police. These institutions must then reflect the decisions in job positions, preventing officers without certificates from having access to classified information.
The case once again raises questions about internal control in the police, especially when it comes to managers who, according to the system, have been or are in positions where sensitive information circulates.
Slowed vetting and movements within the structure
The transitional re-evaluation process in the police, launched in 2018 and focused on managers, has been affected by frequent movements across departments, regional directorates and police stations. According to official data, these changes have slowed the vetting process.
The AMP has officially acknowledged that in 6 months, out of 26 triple checks, 15 were confirmed, while for 11 other chiefs the process was interrupted because during verification they no longer held leadership posts. Here too, the question remains open as to whether administrative rotations are making the real screening of the leadership chain more difficult.
Data published by the AMP shows that the problem is not limited to isolated cases, but also affects high management levels in the police.
What is still missing is full public transparency on the concrete measures taken against these officers and how effectively the security screening process is actually functioning within law enforcement structures.