The first ten police support volunteers – nine men and a woman – were handed over their volunteer cards. The administration of the General Police Inspectorate announced that the institution recently received the status of volunteering host. All those who want to become police support volunteers can obtain comprehensive information at the Inspectorate’s Human Resources Division, IPN reports.

General Police Inspectorate chief Alexandru Panzari told a news conference that by involving volunteers, the police aim to be closer to the people. According to him, the police need to cooperate with the people in order to better understand their needs.

The volunteers are engaged in the police service with the aim of increasing the people’s involvement in community activities and confidence in the police. The volunteers can be Moldovan citizens or foreigners and stateless persons aged older than 16. If a younger person wants to work as a volunteer, this needs the consent of the legal representative.

By using volunteers, the police administration also want to offer police officers the possibility of developing their capacities to work in a team and their leadership skills as they will manage the work of volunteers. The volunteers will be able to spend the free time more usefully and to develop professionally.

The volunteers will not be engaged in activities that can endanger their life and health. These will mainly take part in awareness-raising campaigns and preparation of informational materials and will be able to report cases of violation of the legislation. This will help free up police officers and staff to perform key operational duties.

The first ten volunteers are from communities were pilot projects to create community police were implemented. As the General Police Inspectorate obtained the status of volunteering host, similar projects will be carried out nationwide, while the volunteering areas will be extended.