Saturday, January 31, 2009

Polish police in debt

The Polish police have started the new year with debts reaching up to 480 million zlotys.

“The ministry got less money and was forced to cut the policing budget,” explained spokeswoman for the ministry of interior Wioletta Paprocka.

In mid-December the ministry cut the police’s budget for 2008 by some 535 million zlotys.

The police will need to cover their debts from the money assigned for 2009. “Police chiefs and heads of particular units will do their best to ensure normal operations. But the truth is that we need to think twice before spending even one zloty,” said Mariusz Sokolowski of the police forces.

Hence the police are to spend money only on the necessities: fuel, energy, salaries and taxes. Any greater purchases need to wait for better times.

“Our purchases are rather complicated. It’s impossible to buy weapons or cars from one day to the next,” Sokolowski added.

The budget of the police for 2009 is to amount to some 9 billion zlotys.
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