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Elanas Jablonskas led the Kaunas police for a year. It was not easy to tame this city and I had to examine many personal qualities. Now a new turning point awaits him in his career.
E. Jablonskas began leading Kaunas officials after a very disappointing corruption scandal, when, as he puts it, the atmosphere among officials was tense. At the time, in an interview with Kauno Diena, he said that he had a clear goal, but that he probably couldn’t even think that he would have to face the clutches of a coronavirus pandemic.
E.Jablonskas, who was interviewed in the last days of his work in Kaunas, does not feel any regrets about leaving, he is far from happy with what he has achieved and most hope that the work started in Kaunas will not stop. The former chief of officials did not try to hide that it was necessary to adapt to life in our city and, in some cases, even shake up his personal qualities.
E.Jablonskas will not head the Immunity Service for the time being, but will head the Marijampolė police. (Photo by Justina Lasauskaitė)
Welcome the results
– Exactly twelve months in the chair of the Kaunas police chief. Is this a short or sufficient time to achieve the objectives?
– As I already mentioned, my mission here was to continue the work started so that the activities would not stop, so that people would not be afraid and would work on the work started. I will not hide the fact that the first weeks were not really easy not only for me, but for the entire police community, since I came unexpectedly and without being asked (laughs). It took considerable diplomatic effort to find a common language and figure out what needs to change as soon as possible and who will take the longest. And those opinions of all kinds were in the team, I think now. After all, every change brings a lot of anxiety. Regardless, I think, and over the years I have managed to do enough or at least get on the right track. Now it is important that the work started continues.
I am probably not wrong in saying that the Kaunas police community itself has changed with me. Personally, I am very happy with the team around me, who trusted me and worked with me on common goals.
I receive letters from colleagues who simply thank you for the peace that has prevailed this year. While there were still many things on the plans, the feedback we received allows us to leave with a clear conscience.
– Have you already tried to summarize the work of the whole year?
– Looking back, first of all, what I did when I arrived, I tried to manage the so-called crisis in the Kaunas police after the corruption scandal. Then other work followed: we solved a series of financial problems that today allow the Kaunas police to save more than ten tens of thousands of euros. Some inefficiency issues have been resolved and the team has been updated to focus on improving performance.
We pay close attention to the culture of the police community. In that sense, it was easy for me because I came from the country, so all the new colleagues I met were the same, I could look at everything with different eyes. I have tried to introduce the fact that we are all equal in this community, we are only named by grade and title, but everyone’s work is equally important, we all work equally for the benefit of the people.
There were all kinds of opinions from the beginning, all kinds of opinions remain today. The team is happy with some of the decisions I have made and I don’t think about them much.
We have also restructured the so-called automotive company, where the philosophy has begun to be that it is not the officer who has to request the official car that belongs to him, but that the institution must ensure that everyone at work obtains everything necessary to carry out their functions. Another important moment, which was emphasized by the officials themselves during the meetings, is that in almost every call there is a kind of fear of getting behind the wheel of an official car. This was because, if there were any additional cases, part of the damage was always deducted from the officer himself. My idea was to reevaluate this procedure, to arrive at a new algorithm that decides in each case whether that damage will be deducted or not. It is important for the officer to feel comfortable in his workplace and not fear consequences. Most interestingly, such a decision has reduced the number of accidents involving police officers by approximately 40%.
Focusing on improving the culture of the organization, a decision was made on flexible working hours. An officer can start work earlier or finish later using total time accounting. So far, this has required commissions to consider whether to allow. There was mistrust in himself. My opinion on this was clear: the official signs the application, the employer approves it and at the same time takes responsibility for it.
Recently a colleague told me: “Get out of the Immunity Board and gain confidence, there is already a lot of work to be done here” (laughs). However, I can assure you that I have tried to emphasize a completely different understanding of cooperation. The need to constantly talk. As one of the most interesting forms of communication, I could name my Sunday letter to all colleagues. It was like a summary of the week’s work – in some cases I encouraged, in others – I asked to stretch or thank. This form of communication was especially helpful in the spring, when quarantine was unexpectedly introduced to the country and everyone had to live and work differently. And in what other way? I was able to write everything to my colleagues while sitting down. How did this work? Probably the best answer can only be given by the officials themselves, but I have no doubt that this is a means to strengthen the unity of the community.
Well, and the highlight, all the communality of the police officers became evident in the presence of the coronavirus. Many decisions had to be made very quickly. Today I can safely say that Kaunas police officers can adapt to various conditions and the work does not stop.
Focus on traffic culture
– What crimes were most detected?
– The emphasis on the shadow should probably be emphasized here. Major operations like Grill London also sounded very loud. Several cases have been clarified in which employers paid salaries in so-called envelopes. I have already mentioned many times that Kaunas is notorious for economic crime. Some of the crimes investigated illustrate this perfectly. And that’s certainly not the end, we still have to pull all the so-called dirty money out of the shadows.
Demonstrations of violent crime have been accompanied by coronavirus quarantine. There are all kinds of domestic conflicts at home, and during this difficult year, many of them have really had to be quelled. However, this does not mean that no other crimes were committed during that time, no perpetrators have been arrested. We also detained people who stole auto parts, as well as a gang that carried out several robberies. Unfortunately, the scammers also took advantage of the emergency. The number of fraud cases has increased and the damage they cause is still being calculated in court.
We have made many efforts to change the established traffic culture; We have taken a more principled view of a number of Road Traffic Rules violations, especially cases of hooligan driving, vehicles with tinted windows, etc.
– Tripods that have become driver’s boots. How did they manage to integrate them into the streets of Kaunas and what tangible results have they already produced?
– These mobile speedometers have given a tangible result that can be called numbers. We have noticed that traffic has slowed down in Kaunas for some time. We think it was the tripods that played the appropriate role in this place. Statistics say that it is in Kaunas County that they have now registered a record number of offenders – around 90,000. However, despite all the criticism, it is possible to look at it from the most important angle: last year ten people died on the roads of Kaunas, this year only one. In theory, we saved nine lives. Of course, we can’t just tie everything to mobile speedometers. But the fact is that the traffic is more fluid. There are still people flying, but their speed has also decreased.
Has changed himself
– Was it difficult to work in Kaunas?
– It really wasn’t easy. I had to leave my comfort zone, where I had been for years. Everything has changed, from the working hours regime to all the police officers I have had to deal with and work with. It was necessary to adapt not only his work philosophy, but also certain personal qualities. The Kaunas police community is large, so flexibility and diplomacy were especially needed. But now, looking back at all this past time, I can assure you that there are no insurmountable and insurmountable tasks. All you need is the right team by your side and a shared desire to achieve your goals. So from the beginning, I emphasized that the most important thing is the community spirit in the team.
Photo by Elanas Jablonskas / Justina Lasauskaitė
– And how did working in Kaunas change you? Has the team’s attitude towards you changed?
– I think there is more empathy. Of course, planning and strategies for the future, not just decision making here and now. The manager position demanded all these qualities with a lot.
There were all kinds of opinions from the beginning, all kinds of opinions remain today. The team is happy with some of the decisions I have made and I don’t think about them much. There is no single opinion.
– How does Kaunas look today?
– Since I had to communicate mainly with officials while I was working, I can say that in Kaunas these people are really professional and extremely dedicated to what they do. If we talk about the general population, I can say that, for me at least, I have formed an image that a Kaunas resident clearly shows that he is from Kaunas and is obviously proud of it. In my opinion, every Kaunas resident is truly a patriot of their city.
Now the most important thing is that the work started continues.
There are many charming and intriguing places in the city, the district and the entire county of Kaunas, which I had not known before. Even when you walk through Laisvės alley or explore the Raudondvaris mansion, you feel a kind of magical aura, which you don’t really feel in any corner of the city.
Each stage that ends leaves a stamp, so I can’t say that I won’t miss this city. But I really do leave you with a clear conscience, I did everything that seemed best to me, not only for the team, but also for the people. Today, I just hope that if everything I started continues in an intense way, it is the best appreciation of my work.
– What would you wish for your heir?
– For the new leaders, I want to trust the police community, continue the work started and vigorously pursue new changes.
Photo by Justina Lasauskaitė
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