The Ministry of the Interior eagerly awaits the new chief — Janis Dombrova — and, for now, according to the plan, must report by May 31 on "the ability to prevent and detect crimes committed by organized criminal groups (OCGs) and create tools to reduce the interest and opportunities of OCGs to engage in criminal activities in Latvia."
Criminal Intelligence
The statistics on the detection of organized crime have sharply increased: in 2025 — 1087, compared to 314 the year before. Seizures have been made totaling 8,739,070 euros and 96 cents.
In the document available on the legal acts portal tap.gov.lv, developed while Richard Kozlovskis ("New Unity") was the minister, there are many various specific abbreviations — but one thing that can be understood is the emphasis on criminal intelligence. That is, "the preparation of reports aimed at strengthening the analytical system of the State Police, in order to integrate into the overall fight of EU states against organized crime and to reach the level of other states."
By the end of this year, law enforcement has extended measures to create a Data Warehouse related to KAIS – the information system supporting criminal intelligence. Together with the Ministries of Justice and Finance, data monitoring is being conducted, "which can only be carried out after the integration of external information systems."
New Generation of Investigators
A Training Center for Investigators has been established at the College of the State Police, which "provides a unified and coordinated approach to planning training in the fight against organized crime, economic and financial crimes, as well as serious and particularly serious crimes."
Among the topics covered in classes and seminars are cross-border crime, drug trafficking, and the legalization of criminally obtained funds. Investigators in Latvia are now being trained for operational actions in the digital environment, as well as for the identification and confiscation of cryptocurrencies.
The exact number of trained professionals is classified, but as open sources indicate, "more than a dozen different training sessions have been conducted, with many hundreds of officials participating." At the end of 2025, 54 law enforcement officers participated in the EMPACT – European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats meeting held in Riga.
Yugoslavs Will Be Hidden in Latvia
In mafia cases, an important point is the protection of victims and witnesses — within this process, our law enforcement visited Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary last year. Among other things, the Ministry of the Interior's report mentions an agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which provides for the relocation of witnesses and their relatives to our country.
However, new plans within the Ministry of the Interior are not being concocted: "thus reducing administrative burden and bureaucracy." Moreover, the National Criminal Intelligence Model (NKIM) and the Crime Prevention Council remain in the country.
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