State Police (Latvia)

Last updated
State Police of Latvia
Latvijas Valsts policija
Valsts policijas emblema.png
Service patch (since 2018)
Agency overview
Formed5 December 1918 (1918-12-05)
Employees6371 (2021)
Annual budget€132.64 million (2021)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Latvia
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersČiekurkalna 1. līnija 1, k-4, LV-1026, Riga
Agency executive
  • Gen. Armands Ruks, Chief of the State Police
Parent agencyMinistry of the Interior of the Republic of Latvia
Website
www.vp.gov.lv

The State Police of Latvia (also Latvian State Police, Latvian : Latvijas Valsts policija) is the national police service and one of the national law enforcement agencies of the Republic 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 General Armands Ruks. [1]

Contents

History

A Latvian policeman in 1931 Latvian Policeman in 1931.png
A Latvian policeman in 1931

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 and the West Russian Volunteer 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] [4] 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 on 4 June 1991 with the approval of the law "On Police". [5] One of its first units was the 1st Police (Patrol) Battalion, established on April 30, 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. [6] Latvia re-joined Interpol on 4 November 1992. [7]

Organization

State Police Chief Armands Ruks in an officer dress uniform (left), a color guard officer in patrol dress (middle) accompany the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mierina (right). Both officers wear 2018 pattern uniforms. Saeimas priekssedetaja Daiga Mierina piedalas Valsts policijas 105.dibinasanas gadadienas svinigaja pasakuma - 53377439580.jpg
State Police Chief Armands Ruks in an officer dress uniform (left), a color guard officer in patrol dress (middle) accompany the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa (right). Both officers wear 2018 pattern uniforms.

The agency is led by the Chief of the State Police, General Armands Ruks. [1] The previous police chief Ints Ķuzis, incumbent since 2nd of August 2011, resigned on 20 February 2020 to run as a candidate for the 2020 Riga City Council election, later he died in 2022, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Currently[ when? ] the organization employs 6371 personnel and receives €133 million annual funding.

Qualification for service

A Latvian police Lieutenant Colonel in the 1992 pattern formal dress uniform, flanked by two officers in work dress sweaters, 2015 Inara Murniece piedalas Valsts policijas dibinasanas 97.gadadienai veltitaja svinigaja sanaksme (23217092170).jpg
A Latvian police Lieutenant Colonel in the 1992 pattern formal dress uniform, flanked by two officers in work dress sweaters, 2015

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. [8] 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.

Previous logo (1991/1992-2018, phaseout until 2024) Latvia policepatch.jpg
Previous logo (1991/1992–2018, phaseout until 2024)

Structure

The main large organizational units are as follows:

OMEGA official seal Latvian OMEGA 01.jpg
OMEGA official seal

OMEGA (Latvian : Pretterorisma vienība "Omega") is the premier counter-terrorism and hostage response unit of Latvia, part of the State Police. [9] Founded in 1992, OMEGA does cooperate with many other counter-terrorism units over the world. [10] The Heckler & Koch MP5, the HK G36C and the Walther P99 weapons are used.

Ranks

Latvian Police College cadets on parade, 2014 Latvian Independence Day military parade 342 (26501906600).jpg
Latvian Police College cadets on parade, 2014

The Latvian police ranks are the same as in any of the agencies subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. [11] 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 and Colonel ranks are assigned by the Interior Minister.

Rank Name in LatvianRank Name in EnglishRank insignia
Ģenerālis General Latvian Police General Rank.png
Pulkvedis Colonel Latvian Police Colonel Rank.png
Pulkvežleitnants Lieutenant Colonel Latvian Police Lieutenant Colonel Rank.png
Majors Major Latvian Police Major Rank.png
Kapteinis Captain Latvian Police Captain Rank.png
Virsleitnants First Lieutenant Latvian Police First Lieutenant Rank.png
Leitnants Second Lieutenant Latvian Police Second Lieutenant Rank.png
Virsnieka vietnieks Warrant Officer Latvian Police Warrant Officer Rank.png
Virsseržants First Sergeant Latvian Police First Sergeant Rank.png
Seržants Sergeant Latvian Police Sergeant Rank.png
Kaprālis Corporal Latvian Police Corporal Rank.png
Ierindnieks Private Latvian Police Private Rank.png
Kadets Cadet Latvian Police Cadet Rank.png

Equipment and vehicles

While the precise weapons arsenal of the State Police of Latvia is not known, according to the weapons procurement of the Ministry of Interior, [12] some of the weapons they use together with the State Secret Police and Border Guard are the following:

The State Police of Latvia in the last 5 years replaced most of its vehicles with the following:

A Volvo S60 patrol car in 1991 livery and officers in Riga, 2011 Police officers Riga.jpg
A Volvo S60 patrol car in 1991 livery and officers in Riga, 2011
A police Opel Mokka in the old (left) and new livery, 2023 Opel Mokka Riga.jpg
A police Opel Mokka in the old (left) and new livery, 2023

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. [13] The design took inspiration from American police and military vehicles, with the first iteration of the design also including stripes in red. [14] A similar white-red version was adopted by the State Fire and Rescue Service, [15] a green-white - by municipal police forces [16] and an early grey-white - by the Security Service of Parliament and State President, as well as other services.

In June 2018, while celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Police unveiled its new visual identity: a new, pre-WWII-style logo based on the lesser coat of arms of Latvia and new livery with blue, lime green and grey elements inspired by 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 and is scheduled to replace the old one starting from 2020. [17] New uniforms to gradually replace the old all-blue kit were also presented later the same year. [18] The old uniforms are planned to be phased out by 1 July 2024. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latvian National Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Latvia

The Latvian National Armed Forces, or NBS, are the armed forces of Latvia. Latvia's defense concept is based on a mobile, professional rapid response force and a reserve segment that can be called upon relatively fast for mobilization should the need arise. The National Armed Forces consists of Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force and National Guard. Its main tasks are to protect the territory of the State; participate in international military operations; and to prevent threats to national security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latvian Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Latvias military

Latvian Air Force is the aviation branch of the National Armed Forces. The first air force (AF) units were established in 1919 and re-established in 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense of Latvian air space is maintained by NATO, with rotating detachments of four aircraft to Lithuania at four-monthly intervals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Defence (Latvia)</span>

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia is the Latvian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of related subordinate agencies, such as the Latvian National Armed Forces. The ministry is headed by the politically appointed Minister of Defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovenian National Police Force</span> Law enforcement agency

The Slovenian National Police Force is the national government agency that handles the responsibility of law enforcement of the Republic of Slovenia. It is composed of the eight police directorates in Celje, Koper, Kranj, Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, and Novo Mesto. Law enforcement in Slovenia is governed by the Slovenian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The police force maintains a number of international partnerships with foreign police forces, including training with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, and involvement in Albania and Kosovo with the Multinational Advisory Police Element. The Slovenian police force was admitted to Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on March 24, 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement in Latvia</span>

Law enforcement in Latvia is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. The main security organizations are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasažieru vilciens</span> Railway company based in Riga, Latvia

Pasažieru vilciens is the only passenger-carrying railway company in Latvia, operating both electric and diesel trains on various lines throughout the country. It was formed in November 2001 by bringing together two separate companies, PPU Elektrovilciens and PPU Dīzeļvilciens under one name, creating the first subsidiary of Latvian Railways. As of October 2008 JSC "Pasažieru vilciens" is an independent state-owned company. As of 2017, the company employed 1,075 people.

Prostitution in Latvia is legal and regulated. The country is a destination for sex tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Language policy in Latvia</span>

Articles 4 and 114 of the Constitution of Latvia form the foundation for language policy in Latvia, declaring Latvian to be the official state language and affirming the rights of ethnic minorities to preserve and develop their languages. Livonian language is recognized as "the language of the indigenous (autochthon) population" in the Official Language Law, but Latgalian written language is protected as "a historic variant of Latvian." All other languages are considered foreign by the Law on State Language. Latvia provides national minority education programmes in Russian, Polish, Hebrew, Ukrainian, Estonian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latvian Railways</span> State-owned railway company in Latvia

JSC Latvian Railway was established on 2 September 1991. It is seen as the successor of the Latvian State Railways company which was established on 5 August 1919 and dissolved by the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latvian National Guard</span> Military unit

The Latvian National Guard or NG is a part of the Latvian National Armed Forces. The National Guard is a basic land component, consisting of volunteers who perform traditional national guard duties such as crisis response and support for military operations. It consists of the Staff Headquarters and 4 brigades, which are divided into 18 battalions. The National Guard continued its development also after Latvia joined NATO.

The Federal Police is the national and principal law enforcement agency of Austria. The Federal Police was formed in July 2005 as one formal unit of police. In 2005, the Federal Police replaced the Austrian Federal Gendarmerie, which policed most of the country, and the Polizei which policed Austria’s major urban centres such as Vienna, Salzburg and Graz. The Federal Police also serves as Austria’s border control agency. The Federal Police works in partnership with the 19 municipal police agencies and other law enforcement agencies in Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of Ukraine, Moscow</span> Diplomatic mission of Ukraine to Russia

The Embassy of Ukraine in Moscow was the chief diplomatic mission of Ukraine in the Russian Federation. It was located at 18 Leontyevsky Lane in Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police of the Czech Republic</span> Czech national law enforcement agency

The Police of the Czech Republic is the national law enforcement agency of the Czech Republic. It was established on 15 July 1991 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. The agency is tasked with protecting citizens, property and public order and as of 2015, there were around 40,500 employees. Czech state police cooperates with municipal police departments, which are present in local municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Border Guard</span> Law enforcement agency

The State Border Guard is the border guard of Latvia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrejs Pildegovičs</span>

Andrejs Pildegovičs is a Latvian public figure, diplomat and a civil servant. Currently, he is acting as an Ambassador of Special Tasks of the Secretariat of the Candidate of Latvia to the UN Security Council, as well as being the Permanent Representative of Latvia to the UN (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kārlis Prauls</span> Latvian military officer

Kārlis Prauls was a Latvian general, and from 1930 to 1940 a commander in the Aizsargi home guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statistical regions of Latvia</span> Subnational regions

There are six statistical regions in Latvia are Kurzeme, Latgale, Pierīga, Rīga, Vidzeme and Zemgale.

The Police Corps, commonly known as Slovak Republic Police, is the national police force of Slovakia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Security Service (Latvia)</span> Latvian civil counterintelligence and internal security service.

The State Security Service or VDD is one of three Latvian security and intelligence services. VDD is the civilian counterintelligence and internal security service, which gathers intelligence from a number of sources and conducts its analysis, informs senior state officials about the identified risks to the national security as well as acts to neutralize those risks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planning regions of Latvia (from 2021)</span>

There are five planning regions of Latvia after a 2021 reform: Kurzeme Planning Region, Latgale Planning Region, Riga Planning Region, Vidzeme Planning Region and Zemgale Planning Region. The boundaries of the regions align with the boundaries of the municipalities of Latvia following the municipality reform of 1 July 2009. The planning regions of Latvia are not administrative territorial divisions, since they are not mentioned in the law that prescribes the administrative territorial divisions of Latvia.

References

  1. 1 2 "Struktūra | Valsts policija". www.vp.gov.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  2. ↑ "Policijas darbinieku un robežsargu dienas svinēs valstiskā līmenī". TVNET (in Latvian). 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. ↑ "History - Ministry of the Interior". www.iem.gov.lv. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  4. ↑ "History of the Ministry of the Interior | Iekšlietu ministrija". www.iem.gov.lv. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  5. ↑ "On Police - Laws.lv". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  6. ↑ "1. Policijas bataljons - Vēsture (1st Police Battalion - History)". bataljons.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  7. ↑ "Latvia / Europe / Member countries / Internet / Home - INTERPOL". www.interpol.int. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  8. ↑ "Policijas koledža". www.policijas.koledza.gov.lv. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  9. ↑ "Oh. My. Omega". Public Broadcasting of Latvia . 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  10. ↑ "With help from Omega counter-terrorism unit, State Police rescues a hostage held captive on a yacht". Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  11. ↑ "Iekšlietu ministrijas sistēmas iestāžu un Ieslodzījuma vietu pārvaldes amatpersonu ar speciālajām dienesta pakāpēm dienesta gaitas likums". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  12. ↑ "Par ieroču iepirkumu Iekšlietu ministrijas padotībā esošo iestāžu vajadzībām". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  13. ↑ "Police present new look". eng.lsm.lv. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  14. ↑ "'Zebra': Līdzšinējā policijas auto dizaina autors par jauno – 'tas ir ļoti lesbisks'" ["Zebra": 'It's very lesbian' - the author of the current police car design says about the new one]. delfi.lv (in Latvian). 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  15. ↑ Smits, Martins (2014-08-20), English: Firefighter drill at Madliena retirement home , retrieved 2020-06-21
  16. ↑ Dickelbers (2007-07-20), Nederlands: Renault Kangoo I - Politieauto in Letland , retrieved 2020-06-21
  17. ↑ "Video: Ar kādiem auto policija turpmāk ķers pārkāpējus" [Video: What cars will the police catch violators with from now on]. delfi.lv (in Latvian). 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  18. ↑ "Latvia's police show off stylish new look". eng.lsm.lv. 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  19. ↑ "FOTO: Valsts policijas darbinieki saņēmuši jaunā dizaina formastērpus" [PHOTOS: Officers of the State Police have received the new design uniforms]. Jauns.lv (in Latvian). 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.