Home having to prioritise work as it struggles with 60 vacancies
THERE are 60 staff vacancies across Home Affairs, committee president Rob Prow revealed yesterday.
And most of these were due to issues with the cost of living and the shortage of housing.
Answering a question from Scrutiny Management Panel member Simon Fairclough during a hearing at the Castel Douzaine Room, Deputy Prow said this figure covered roles across various departments.
Home’s director of operations Dave Le Ray said there were 11 police officers needed, three Customs officers, 28 in total across Law Enforcement, including admin and support roles, with 16 in the Economic and Financial Crime Bureau and three in the Financial Investigations Unit.
‘That’s an incredible amount,’ said Deputy Fairclough.
Mr Le Ray agreed that there had never been this many vacancies before.
But he said that this was based on the ultimate number that Home believed it needed.
Deputy Fairclough then asked what was not being done as a result of the shortage of staff.
Mr Le Ray said that it was trying to prioritise the work that needed to be done and this could have led to some of the more supportive work done by officers not being undertaken.
Most of the specialist staff needed in the EFCB would need to come from outside the island and the cost of living and the housing shortage was an issue.
Some of those who were interested were put off when they saw how much it would cost to live in the island.
Deputy police chief Phil Breban said that some areas that had suffered through a shortage of staff included neighbourhood and road policing, and the emphasis was on providing an emergency response.
Training had also been hit, with essential training being given, but not the full range which officers might wish to complete.
With so many vacancies in the EFCB, Deputy Fairclough asked if the committee was concerned about this, given the anti-money laundering-focused Moneyval inspection due next year.
Deputy Prow said it was a concern and a challenge but he had confidence in the bureau and the FIU that they would continue in their efforts to recruit. Six posts had already been filled.
