Latvia

The Latvian State Police is a state institution that protects the individual, society and the State in cooperation with people and organizations, respecting the principles of the rules of law and neutrality in actions. The Latvian State Police ensures public order and take responsibility for the internal security of the State, contributes to the restoration of legal redress in the field of offenses. It protects society and the State from criminal and other illegal threats to life, health, rights and freedoms, property and interests. The Latvian State Police serve the community and the State.

The Latvian State Police has set the following values as the highest values in actions of institution: patriotism, self-aware as a part of the Latvian State Police family, professionalism and taking responsibility for actions, cooperation, collective and personal development, respectful attitude and behavior, honest and open communication.

Officer of the Latvian State Police is a servant of a specialized civil service. The State Police College prepares and educates police officers. 

The central authority of the Latvian State Police organize and coordinates activities of the structural units of the Latvian State Police. The central authority includes Administrative Department, Complaints and Discipline Branch, Personnel and Recruitment Board, Secret Regime Guarantee Unit, Special Correspondence Unit, Planning and Finance Board.

Main Criminal Police Department, Main Public Order Police Department, Forensic Centre of the State Police, the State Police College, territorial police boards of the cities and regions are subordinated structural units.

The Latvian State Police is currently a member of several international organizations. This means that certain responsibilities and obligations have been delegated to its staff, not only in the performance of daily operations, but also while representing the Latvian State Police at international events. 

The State Revenue Service (SRS) Tax and Customs Police Department, the law enforcement authority conducts operational activities and pre-trial investigations to prevent and disclose criminal offences in matters of the State revenue and customs. It is one of the SRS standing units and was founded by merging the SRS Finance Police Department and the SRS Customs Police Department.

The National Contact Point (NCP) compiles, evaluates, arranges and disseminates the risk information and coordinates customs activities in international customs operations. It is the SRS Tax and Customs Police Department’s organizational unit and operates on a 24/7 bases to support effective risk information exchange countrywide and internationally.

The SRS Tax and Customs Police Department’s main tasks include but are not limited to an investigation of:

1. Tax evasion
2. Tax fraud
3. Money laundering
4. Customs offenses
   • a.    Non-declaration or false declaration of cash
   • b.    Smuggling (Covert smuggling (goods, valuables) across national and EU external borders; goods, valuables carried in this way)
   • c.    Unauthorized activities with goods and other valuable property subject to customs clearance
   • d.    Illegal storage, movement and disposal of oil products
   • e.    Illegal storage, movement and disposal of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products
   • f.    Avoiding submission of declaration
   • g.    Unauthorized manufacture, repair, acquisition, storage, carrying, transportation, forwarding and sale of firearms, essential components of firearms, firearm ammunition, high-powered pneumatic weapons, explosives and explosive devices, and violation of disposal regulations
   • h.    Unauthorized manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation and forwarding of narcotic and psychotropic substances (movement of goods and substances the circulation of which is prohibited or specially regulated across the state border)
   • i.    Forgery of a document, seal and stamp and use and disposal of a forged document, seal and stamp

Administrative office (General issues, Legal matters, MLA): 
Tel.     +371 6712 0272 , +371 6712 0269
Email   NMPP.lietvediba@vid.gov.lv 

National Contact Point (Operational matters 24/7):
Tel.     +371 6712 0687
Mobile +371 2568 5917
Email   ncp@vid.gov.lv
 

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) is the leading specialised anti corruption authority of Latvia. Its aim is to fight corruption in Latvia in a coordinated and comprehensive way through prevention, investigation, education and awareness raising.

KNAB is an independent public administration institution under the supervision of the Cabinet of Ministers. The supervision is executed by the Prime Minister. It is limited to the control of lawfulness of decisions.

KNAB is also a pre-trial investigatory body and has traditional police powers.
The functions of KNAB include:

• Developing and coordinating the national anti-corruption strategy;
• Prevention of conflict of interest in actions of public officials;
• Compiling and analysing the information about the inspections made, declarations submitted by public officials, any violations detected in the submission thereof and failure to observe the restrictions provided by law;
• Controlling the fulfilment of the restrictions for pre-election campaigns;
• Controlling and monitoring of political parties' compliance with party financing regulations;
• Education of public officials and the society about corruption, ethics and respect of law;
• Combating corruption by carrying out investigative and operational actions to discover corruption-related criminal offences provided in the Criminal Law in the service of State authorities.

Latvian State Security Service (VDD) is counterintelligence and internal security service, which gathers the information from different sources, carries out its analysis, informs senior officials about the threats identified to the national security as well as takes measures to neutralize them. Latvian VDD’s responsibility is the conduction of counterintelligence activities, protection of state secrets, protection of constitutional order, protection of economic security interests, coordination and conduction of counterterrorism measures as well as protection of dignitaries. VDD is also the only service out of three Latvian intelligence and security services with the right to carry out pre-trial investigation (to initiate criminal proceedings, initiate criminal prosecution as well as arrest persons).

The work of VDD is supervised by the Minister of Interior, the operational activities and the legitimacy of pre-trial investigation process is supervised by the General Prosecutor, but the parliamentary control over VDD is performed by the National Security Commission of the Saeima (the Parliament). In terms of its mission, functions and tasks VDD is the successor of the State Security Department of Latvia (established in 1919) - the first civilian counterintelligence and internal security service of Latvia.

The State Border Guard was founded in 1919, and revived in 1991 when the Latvian Minister of Defence signed an order for the formation of seven border guard battalions and an individual border control point for the city of Riga. In 1997, supervision of the State Border Guard was transferred to the Minister of the Interior. The Guard comprises a headquarters and six territorial departments. Border Guards are trained at the State Border Guard College. The Border Guard’s main tasks are to protect and keep watch over the state border and ensure that foreigners observe the conditions for residence within the state. It fulfils these tasks in collaboration with other Latvian institutions. Border control is executed in accordance with Latvian law and international agreements. State Border Guards participate in international missions and operations based on resolutions, recommendations or requests by international organisations, associations or communities, with which the Republic of Latvia has concluded international agreements.