This year, 515 students graduated from the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. Estonia is gaining 68 more future police officers, rescuers, emergency response centre operators, prison officers, tax and customs officials than in the previous academic year.

Rector Kuno Tammearu said the academy trains as many specialists as the state requires. The institution is becoming increasingly popular and there has been an uptick in admissions

"Compared to last year, 20 percent more applications have been submitted and we can certainly be satisfied. In the field of policing, there were three and a half applicants per place; in rescue higher education, for example, there were six applicants per place, and in taxation, practically 10 applicants per place," Tammearu told ERR's evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Nearly 5,000 people work at the PPA. Over the last couple of years, the number of graduates has doubled, but this is still not enough to replace those leaving and retiring. The agency said salaries are not high enough.

"There is a shortage of about 200. In general, there is always a natural vacancy rate that comes with people moving on. As an institution, we would expect that an entry-level police officer earns at least 1.2 times the Estonian average salary," said Kristi Mäe, deputy director general for development at the PPA.

The Estonian Rescue Services Agency employs 2,100 people, but at least 100 more people are needed to fill gaps.

"Since we are actively recruiting at the moment, we do not really want to say loudly that an entry-level rescuer earns 75 per cent of the Estonian average salary. I would rather say that a proper rescuer is worth at least 1.2 times the Estonian average salary, and I hope we will get there," said Margo Klaos, director general of the Estonian Rescue Services Agency.

Rescuers' salaries increased at the beginning of the year from €1,460 to €1,600, while the minimum salary for police officers rose from €1,850 to €2,035.

Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said the Ministry of the Interior was one of the few ministries whose request for salary increases was granted this year.

"With this 10 per cent increase, we have managed to catch up a little on the gap. It certainly does not satisfy people completely, but expectations and possibilities are always different. My preference would be for this catching up in salaries to happen every year in smaller, regular steps, rather than having several years of hardship and then making larger leaps," he said.

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