„First of all, it is very regrettable that corruption has not yet been eradicated from the police force. We don’t even try to hide it. The scale of corruption has likely decreased on its own. However, we still identify cases where police officers commit criminal acts related to corruption,“ Paulauskas told ELTA on Friday when asked to comment on information released by law enforcement regarding the arrest of 10 police officers.
„On the other hand, while this is not very encouraging, the fact that these (potential criminal acts—ELTA) are being identified by the police themselves, the police officers themselves, probably indicates that we do not tolerate this phenomenon, we do not cover for colleagues who are disloyal to the state, and that we are doing everything we can to identify, investigate, and hold those police officers criminally liable. „I believe this operation will be a major turning point and a clear signal to those who are still dishonest to reflect and understand that there will be no tolerance for corruption in the police,“ added the police commissioner general.
As announced by the police, officers from the Šalčininkai District and the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat have been detained on suspicion of cigarette smuggling and other offences. According to law enforcement, this indicates not a potentially systemic problem, but rather a local one.
Susiję straipsniai
Paulauskas assesses the situation similarly. He noted that there is a risk that police officers working in regions bordering Belarus could be collaborating with smugglers.
„As is well known, police officers there come from the same community, which means that they attended the same schools and classes as the smugglers, and now their children also attend the same schools; often, these individuals are even related, which means that it is much easier to influence those police officers than officers who do not have such connections and relationships with an environment prone to smuggling,“ – explained Paulauskas.
According to him, to avoid such risks or prevent potential crimes, it would be advisable to implement a rotation system for officers working at the border with Belarus.
„We will continue discussions with the Ministry of the Interior regarding the possibility of rotating officers who operate in a certain high-risk environment to other Lithuanian police stations. But to do that, we need to ensure social guarantees for the officers, (...) and secure funding for it. (...) We fully understand that the risks in Šalčininkai would be much lower if officers from, for example, Kėdainiai, Jurbarkas, or Kaunas County were stationed there,“ explained the Police Commissioner General.
According to him, amendments to the Internal Service Statute are necessary to implement this idea.
ELTA notes that law enforcement agencies reported on Friday about operations carried out this week, during which 27 people—including 10 police officers and 3 border guards—were detained while investigating possible cigarette smuggling via weather balloons.
According to Deputy Police Commissioner General Marius Draudvila, during the operations, officers found thermal imaging devices, drones, GPS devices, radio stations, face masks, SIM cards, and cigarette packaging equipment. A total of 74 searches were conducted during the operations, involving more than 100 police officers.
According to law enforcement, the detained officers are suspected of aiding in the commission of criminal acts; however, according to Draudvila, they did not organise or carry out cigarette smuggling.
„Abuse of office can take various forms—such as turning a blind eye to certain processes, sharing official information, and other actions,“ he said.
Some of the detained officers have been suspended from duty.