Prague, Jan 12 (CTK) – Eighteen people left the National Centre against Organised Crime (NCOZ) from August 1 last until the end of 2016, its director Michal Mazanek has told CTK, adding that the departures cannot be explained by their disagreement with last year’s police reform.
Mazanek said some of the police retired.
He said tenders have been launched for the vacancies and that many applicants have shown interest in the posts.
According to CTK’s information, the NCOZ now lacks about 70 people.
The NCOZ was formed by a merger of the elite national anti-mafia (UOOZ) and anti-corruption (UOKFK) units. The reform provoked controversy and rocked the government coalition.
The NCOZ should now have 870 members, but it has about 800 according to CTK’s information.
Mazanek said this is due to that both the UOOZ and UOKFK lacked people before the merger.
He said the recruitment conditions are relatively strict and that it takes some time to choose a suitable police.
“We will not probably have any problem filling in the posts, but this cannot happen from day to day,” Mazanek told CTK.
The centre mainly needs cyber crime specialists. “The deficit in this field is biggest. The staff need special skills and knowledge and that is why it is more difficult to find people for this section,” Mazanek said.
The sections focused on extremism and terrorism, and financial and economic crime also seek new staff.
Mazanek does not have a deputy for logistics now. The post was left by Jaroslav Vild who became a deputy police president this year.
Tenders have also been launched for other senior posts.
