The police counter-terrorism project will help modernise equipment, introduce new training and also strengthen cooperation with other countries in counter-terrorism.
Police Chief Armands Ruks pointed out that there are currently no recorded situations in Latvia where terrorists need to be detained, but at a time of war in Ukraine, it is necessary to be prepared for sabotage or diversion by Russia. Therefore, the security services need to be strengthened to identify and prevent such threats in good time.
The main part of the project is the creation of a new, modern training center on the territory of the State Police College in Ezermalas Street.
The center will include several tactical training ranges, a mountaineering tower for training special units, a car range for safe driving training, and parking areas for emergency vehicles. The cost of the training center is estimated at around €8 million and it is expected to be operational by 2029.
Ilze Balode, Senior Project Manager at the State Police College, said that the project will also include various types of training in cyber security and investigations, including the involvement of foreign experts.
"The big block could be these training programs for the new training center, which are expected to be completed in 2029, when we will also basically test and State Police officers will test these training center bases," Balode said.
"In general, we intend to be able to organize tactical training for various State Police units at this training center, to invite various other security and rescue institutions in the future and organize joint training, as well as to invite international cooperation partners and organize international training," she said.
Dmitrijs Homenko, Director of the State Police College, said that the project and the establishment of the new training center is a very big investment in the development of the College. He explained that a strict training plan has now been developed, which the police will stick to.
It is also planned to organize an internal security conference every year to discuss and analyze progress.
The total cost of the project is around €10.5 million, with part of the funding - around €2.6 million - coming from the European Union's Internal Security Fund.
