The bill, drafted by the Ministry of the Interior, would broaden the scope of activity for auxiliary officers, who are now confined to public order tasks such as patrolling.

An auxiliary police officer (Abipolitseinik) is distinct from officers of the municipal police, such as Tallinn's (MuPo), and for over 30 years, auxiliary police officers have provided assistance to the regular Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) in their day-to-day work.

Under the current law, an auxiliary officer may assist the police primarily in activities relating to public order and state supervision, including patrolling.

Adviser to the Ministry of the Interior Nurmely Mitrahovitš told ERR that widening the scope for involvement would on the one hand allow auxiliary officers to contribute any specific knowledge and skills they may have to the PPA, and on the other, take on board that not everyone wants to be active on the streets, but may want to help in other ways.

Flexibility for auxiliary officers would also increase in terms of work tools available to them. For example, auxiliary officers in the future may be able to transport a person suspected of intoxication to an evidence-based breathalyzer, or use the population register to establish someone's identity, tasks they cannot currently conduct, Mitrahovitš added.

"If during the course of traffic supervision a driver is stopped who was driving suspiciously, then an indicator device confirms that they are intoxicated, further action is needed. If they do not have documentation with them, the only way to establish their identity at present is to call a PPA patrol, which sometimes may take hours, while the citizen has to wait there. In the future, this could be done more quickly," Mitrahovitš explained.

Leena Pukk, service owner for volunteer involvement at the PPA, said that police work is broader than just patrolling. Involving volunteers in a wider scope of activity will grant the PPA the chance to better direct resources, she said. "We can do a certain proportion as auxiliary officers before a PPA officer arrives. That is the benefit — officers can be at more important events, they won't be pulled away, and at the same time something can already be done with either the victim or the offender."

Pukk stressed that auxiliary officers would still not be granted the right to conduct proceedings, meaning misdemeanor and criminal procedures will remain the competence of police officers.

"There will always remain the need for police officers, and auxiliary officers are in correlation: As many police officers as we have, accordingly that number of auxiliary officers we have," Pukk continued.

The changes would also require extending the basic training for auxiliary officers from the current 40 hours to 150 academic hours, making it more similar to PPA training.

In the future, a three-tier career model for auxiliary officers could also be introduced. At the lowest, first level, are auxiliary officers, who will not go out on the street but support the police in areas such as development and communications. At the highest and third level are volunteers who independently carry out assignments given by police officers, Mitrahovitš said.

"For example, they would be tasked to go to Tallinn's Old Town, to patrol on foot and ensure public order. Then they could go there together with another auxiliary officer, who also has the competence. The assignment will come from the PPA, but they will not carry it out directly with a police officer — instead, with another equally qualified auxiliary officer," Mitrahovitš continued.

As of the end of last year, the PPA had 1,235 auxiliary police officers on its roles. Under the new law, auxiliary officers could begin to operate under the expanded mandate from fall 2027.

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