Budgetary Funding of Several Law Enforcement Agencies to Grow in Georgia

The draft budget of the next year reads that financing of several law enforcement agencies will be increased from 2019.

According to the draft budget of the next year, approved by the government, 870.0 million GEL will be allocated for the Ministry of Defense.

Compared to the previous draft of the budget, the ministry will get GEL 80 million more financing next year.

As for the funding of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), it will get GEL 644 million. Compared to the previous draft budget, the ministry will get GEL 500,000 more this time.

The draft also includes the expenses which followed the increased salaries of the low-rank policemen by GEL 250 and the salaries of the border police which also increased by GEL 250 per employee.

This summer, Interior Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia announced a new project which envisaged gifting flats to police staff in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Rustavi and also 1 13,200 employees of the ministry saw increased salaries from July 1, 2018. After the changes, the average salary of police officers in Georgia is 1,000 GEL at present.

As for the funding of the State Security Service (SSS) GEL 136 million will be allocated from next year’s budget, out of which 6 million GEL is provided for the growth of salaries of low-level employees and also for partial financing of the establishment of a real-time defining system of the operational-technical agency.

Emergency Situations Management Service will receive GEL 87.6 million from the budget, including 5.5 million GEL for the increase in salaries of firefighters and rescuers.