An internal review launched following crimes committed by intoxicated police officers in late July has found no systemic shortcomings in the Latvian State Police’s (VP) handling of disciplinary violations.
The Ministry of the Interior (IeM) established an internal review commission after several State Police officers holding special service ranks were detained on suspicion of committing criminal offences while under the influence of alcohol, the ministry confirmed to the LETA news agency.
The review, completed in October, was not directed against State Police Chief Armands Ruks or any other specific official.
Instead, its purpose was to assess whether the State Police had adequate mechanisms to ensure compliance with service discipline, whether its supervisory and preventive measures were effective, and whether its organisational procedures, internal controls and oversight of officers’ duties complied with legal requirements.
According to the Interior Ministry,
the review identified no systemic deficiencies in detecting or responding to disciplinary violations.
The commission concluded that the State Police had established a legally and organisationally structured system for monitoring service discipline, supervising personnel and implementing preventive measures.
It found that the existing system was capable of responding appropriately to potential disciplinary offences and that no systemic failures had been identified in the detection or handling of such incidents.
Despite the findings, the review commission instructed State Police Chief Armands Ruks to continue implementing enhanced supervision of service discipline.
Particular attention must be paid to risks associated with the consumption of alcohol, narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and other intoxicants.
The commission also instructed the police leadership to ensure that officers are regularly informed about identified disciplinary violations,
their consequences and the unacceptability of conduct that could result in disciplinary sanctions.
In addition, the State Police must provide the public with information about suspected disciplinary violations involving police officers that have attracted widespread attention, as well as explain how the institution has responded to such incidents, the Interior Ministry stated.
As previously reported, on the 26th of July, an intoxicated police officer killed a man in Priekule.
The detained officer was off duty at the time of the incident.
Just three days later, on the evening of the 29th of July, police in Aizkraukle detained a female police officer who had caused a road traffic accident while intoxicated and subsequently gone into hiding.
A breathalyser test revealed that the woman had an alcohol concentration of 3.18 per mille.
The two incidents raised serious concerns about disciplinary standards within the State Police and prompted the Interior Ministry to examine the effectiveness of its internal control and supervision mechanisms.