State Police (Latvia)
| Law enforcement agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 5 December 1918 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Latvia |
| Headquarters | Čiekurkalna 1. līnija 1, k-4, LV-1026, Rīga |
| Employees | 6371 (2021) |
| Annual budget | €132.64 million (2021) |
| Law enforcement agency executive |
|
| Parent Law enforcement agency | Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Latvia |
| Website | www |
The State Police of Latvia (Latvijas Valsts Policija) is one of the national law enforcement agencies of Latvia. It is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. The agency is divided into five Regional Administrations (Riga, Kurzeme, Latgale, Vidzeme, Zemgale). Since the 13th of October 2020, the Chief of the State Police is Armands Ruks.[1]
History
The founding date of the Latvian Police is considered to be December 5th, 1918, when the transitional government of the newly-proclaimed Republic of Latvia, the People's Council of Latvia, approved the Temporary Regulations on the Internal Security Organization (Pagaidu noteikumi par iekšējās apsardzības organizēšanu), which regulated the structure of the police force and put it under jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior of Latvia, led by Miķelis Valters. The date is now commemorated in Latvia as the Day of the Police.[2]
Due to the ongoing Latvian War of Independence and the lack of territory controlled by Latvian forces at that time, the force could only begin its activities in the summer of 1919 after the Latvian Army and its allies had liberated large parts of the country from the Red Army. Facing a lack of qualified personnel, the Police School at the Riga Prefecture was opened in the same year.
After the war, the force was further divided into the Civil (Kārtības policija), Criminal (Kriminālpolicija) and Secret Police (Politiskā policija). Latvia became a member of Interpol in 1929.[3] After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, the police force was dissolved and around 600 former servicemen and their relatives were persecuted. under the Soviet regime Law enforcement in the Latvian SSR was primarily the task of the Soviet Militsiya.
After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, the Latvian Police was re-established in 1991, with one of the first units being the 1st Police (Patrol) Battalion, established on April 30th, 1991. The main task of the battalion, which was one of the first armed formations of the Latvian government, was to provide security of the Supreme Council of Latvia and strategically important buildings (government offices, radio and television broadcasting infrastructure). In 1992, the battalion was renamed as the Security Service of the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republikas Drošības dienests), which was merged into the Military Police in 2010.[4] Latvia re-joined Interpol on the 4th of November 1992.[5]
Organization
The agency is led by the Chief of the State Police, Armands Ruks.[1] The previous police chief Ints Ķuzis, incumbent 2nd of August 2011, resigned in to run as a candidate for the 2020 Riga City Council election. Currently the organization employs 6371 personnel and receives €133 million annual funding.
Qualification for Service
For a person to qualify for service at the State Police of Latvia, they must initially complete the 2.5 year full-time or 3 year part-time first level professional higher education programme "State Police Junior Inspector" at the State Police College.[6] There are 4 specializations available: investigator, public policeman, criminal policeman and crime expert. The candidate selection is based on a number of physical, cognitive, memory, communication and psychological tests. A candidate must be a Latvian citizen between 18 and 40 years of age with a secondary education certificate and not have committed any intentional crimes for a successful application. A number of further education programmes are available.
Structure
The main large organizational units are as follows:
- Main Administration Unit
- Regional Units
- Courland Region Division
- Semigallia Region Division
- Latgale Region Division
- Vidzeme Region Division
- Riga Region division
- Public Order Unit
- Coordination and Control Division
- Special Object Security Division
- Traffic Control Division
- Prevention Division
- Criminal Police Unit (supervises the Omega team)
- International Cooperation Division
- Organized Crime Division
- Economic Crime Division
- Criminal Intelligence Division
- Criminal Investigations Division
- Human Resources Unit
- Internal Control Office
- Special Matters Unit
- Secrecy Unit
Ranks
The Latvian police ranks are the same as in any of the agencies subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.[7] The General rank is assigned by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, while the Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel un Colonel ranks are assigned by the Interior Minister.
| Rank Name in Latvian | Rank Name in English | Rank insignia |
|---|---|---|
| Ģenerālis | General | 
|
| Pulkvedis | Colonel | 
|
| Pulkvežleitnants | Lieutenant Colonel | 
|
| Majors | Major | 
|
| Kapteinis | Captain | 
|
| Virsleitnants | First Lieutenant | 
|
| Leitnants | Second Lieutenant | 
|
| Virsnieka vietnieks | Warrant Officer | 
|
| Virsseržants | First Sergeant | 
|
| Seržants | Sergeant | 
|
| Kaprālis | Corporal | 
|
| Ierindnieks | Private | 
|
| Kadets | Cadet | 
|
Equipment and Vehicles
While the precise weapons arsenal of the State Police of Latvia is not know, from the weapons procurement of the Ministry of Interior,[8] some of the weapons they use together with the State Secret Police and Border Guard are the following:
- 9 mm PARA pistols and automatic pistols,
- Glock-17, Glock-19 and Glock-26 pistols,
- Heckler & Koch UMP, MP-5 submachine guns,
- Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifles,
- Accuracy International AXMC and Heckler & Koch G28 sniper rifles.
The State Police of Latvia in the last 5 years replaced most of its vehicles with the following:
- Opel Mokka and Opel Insignia,
- Volkswagen Amarok,
- Yamaha FJR1300,
- Subaru Forester,
- Citroen Jumpy,
- Dacia Dokker,
- Ford Mondeo,
- KIA Ceed,
- BMW X5
Some of the Škoda vehicles used for traffic policing are unmarked.
Uniform and Vehicle Design
In 1991, the Latvian State Police first adopted a grey-white vehicle livery, which was designed by Gunārs Glūdiņš, a former professor of the Art Academy of Latvia.[9] The design was based on a black-and-white. In June 2018, while celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Police unveiled a new livery with blue, lime green and grey elements arranged in a Latvian folk ornament, the Brush of Māra (Māras Slotiņa). The new design was designed by a group of students and professors from the Art Academy of Latvia. The new design is scheduled to replace the old by 2020.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Struktūra | Valsts policija". www.vp.gov.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Policijas darbinieku un robežsargu dienas svinēs valstiskā līmenī". TVNET (in Latvian). 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ "History - Ministry of the Interior". www.iem.gov.lv. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- ^ "1. Policijas bataljons - Vēsture (1st Police Battalion - History)". bataljons.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- ^ "Latvia / Europe / Member countries / Internet / Home - INTERPOL". www.interpol.int. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- ^ "Policijas koledža". www.policijas.koledza.gov.lv. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Iekšlietu ministrijas sistēmas iestāžu un Ieslodzījuma vietu pārvaldes amatpersonu ar speciālajām dienesta pakāpēm dienesta gaitas likums". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Par ieroču iepirkumu Iekšlietu ministrijas padotībā esošo iestāžu vajadzībām". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Police present new look". eng.lsm.lv. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
External links
- The Law on Police (Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia, 1991, last amended March 2019)
- Official website in English
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