It seems that the Latvian authorities are relying on unpaid labor - fires in the countryside are extinguished by volunteer firefighters, emergency responders revive the injured, and now there is a new interesting initiative from the Ministry of the Interior.
Next year, voluntary police officers could start working in Latvia - this was stated by the Minister of the Interior, Rihards Kozlovskis, after a meeting with his Estonian counterpart in Valka and Valga.
The meeting of the ministers began at the Latvian-Estonian border, after which they visited a unit of the State Fire and Rescue Service in Valka. There, practical cooperation between the services was discussed, and the Estonian model of voluntary police officers was studied. According to Kozlovskis, such a format could be implemented in Latvia as early as next year, LSM.lv reports.
"The State Police is already working with Estonian colleagues on preparing a training program. I really hope that by spring we will be able to offer this concept," said Kozlovskis.
Currently, there are about 3,000 professional police officers and more than 1,000 volunteers in Estonia who help maintain public order in their daily work. The schedule for volunteers is flexible: some work for four hours, while others take even 12-hour shifts.
"You are one of the colleagues alongside the police officers who are working, just not getting paid. But we have all the equipment: uniforms, gear, even weapons and stun guns — everything necessary. Of course, you need to pass certain exams and undergo checks," explained the Minister of the Interior of Estonia, Igor Taro.
Currently, Latvia lacks police officers, and some are working overtime to patrol the streets and maintain order at mass events. In the future, these duties could be performed by volunteers. However, to become such an officer, one would need to undergo training at the State Police College.
"It is obvious that this training would be provided by the existing academic staff, of course, learning from the Estonians," noted Kozlovskis.
The initiative is wonderful. But where is the guarantee that sick individuals with a craving for weapons and power will not infiltrate the new 'Voluntary People's Patrols (DND)?
