Minister of the Interior Riho Kozlovskis ("New Unity") is considering the introduction of voluntary police in Latvia, whose representatives could primarily assist in ensuring safety at mass events.
As the minister stated in an interview with the LETA agency, the police still lack personnel, although the situation has significantly improved this year. In his opinion, one solution could be involving society in addressing this issue, similar to Estonia. The State Police College could conduct multi-level training for volunteers who, for example, could participate in ensuring public order at events.
Volunteers are not planned to be involved in criminal investigations or operational work. "These will primarily be resources for the order police, which we currently lack," noted Kozlovskis.
In Estonia, such volunteers initially receive the right to perform duties alongside a police officer, and at the next level, after appropriate training, they can act independently. Estonia has about 2,000 volunteer police officers, including the Minister of the Interior.
Kozlovskis considers such a system effective, as there are many mass events, police work overtime at them, and volunteers could provide good support. Additionally, some volunteers may later choose a career as a police officer.
Such a system could be created based on the example of volunteer firefighters, who take on certain responsibilities, and the Ministry of the Interior relies on them. Parallels can also be drawn with the National Guard, where volunteers perform defense tasks during their free time, the minister noted.
If volunteers complete the highest level of training, they will also be provided with special equipment, added the Minister of the Interior.
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