On July 3rd on 2020, European Economic area grant 2014-2021 programme “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime” project No.EEZ/VP/2020/1 “Support to the State Police for increasing effectiveness and quality of economic crime investigation in Latvia” has been launched.
The Project aims at more effective prevention and combating of economic crime. With the help of this project, the State Police of Latvia wants to achieve more effective and higher quality pre-trial investigation of economic crimes, as well as faster and better submission of quality documents for prosecution. The results of the programme are expected to be increased effectiveness in terms of combating economic crime, more effective prevention and strengthened capacity to investigate cases.
In order to prevent and combat economic crimes, several structural units of Latvian State Police work in coordinated co-operation, but the leading ones in their specifics are the Economics Crime Enforcement Department (ENAP) and the Forensic Service Department. In order to promote efficency of this work, a continuous process of education and experience is essential, as well as shortening the duration of investigations, which is possible along with the introduction of modern technological solutions in the work of investigators.
The project planned to improve the capacity of the ENAP and Forensic Service Department by implementing the renovation of buildings and premises and the improvement of jobs, as well as the purchase of specific equipment and the creation of an analytical tool in the detection of economic crimes. The planned project activities in the field of improving professional capacity are equally important: staff training, experience exchange programmes and national and international conferences and seminars. The main activities of the project will be the improvement of infrastructure and technical capacity (refurbishment of ENAP and the development of the IT tool), as well as the enhancement of professional capacity and expertise in the field of economic crime investigations and expertise, organising seminars, practical training, experience-sharing trips and international conferences. The total financing of the project is EUR 8 389 124.
Project Co-operation Partners will be the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the IM Information Centre and the State Agency for Security under the project.
A number of important projects will be implemented within the framework of the programme, including the launch by 2020 of the implementation of the State Police Project “Support to the State Police for accelerating and improving the quality of economic crime investigations in Latvia”, involving as co-operation partners the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the State Agency for Security and the Information Centre.
On Monday, November 25, a promotional event was held in Riga for the programme co-financed by the European Economic Area (EEA) financial instrument for the period 2014-2021 “International police cooperation and fighting crime”. Officials from the Ministry of Interior, the Norwegian Embassy, the Ministry of Welfare, the State Police, the State Revenue Service, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau and the Financial Intelligence Service participated in the opening. . Members of the event were addressed by the Minister of Interior, Sandis Ģirģens, Chief of State Police Ints Ķuzis, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Riga Kristian Ødegaard, Head of the Directorate-General of the Council of Europe (ODGP), Matthew Barr, representative of the EEA Financial Instrument, Mualla Cirakli, as well as other project promoters of the planned programme.