Since 2020, the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 programme’s project “Support to the State Police for increasing effectiveness and quality of economic crime investigation in Latvia” (project number EEZ/VP/2020/1) has organized numerous trainings and study visits. The aim of these activities was not only to enhance the professional knowledge of employees but also to make cooperation processes between law enforcement agencies in Latvia and abroad more efficient and stronger.
Training activities were conducted in various forensic fields related to the investigation of economic crimes. Employees were trained in accordance with the latest trends and challenges, enabling them to acquire in-depth skills and knowledge. In total, 3155 employees – 1969 women and 1186 men – from organizations such as the State Police, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Latvia, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the State Revenue Service, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, Eurojust, Europol, and other law enforcement agencies were trained in 19 seminars and conferences.
Seminars were held both in person and remotely via the Zoom online platform. Seminar topics covered various components of combating and investigating economic crimes. Leading experts in the field provided insights into current issues such as the circulation of illicit excise goods, environmental crimes, the distribution of illegal audiovisual content, cybercrime, virtual currency investigations, data analysis, and money laundering. Every year during the project implementation, an international conference was held, bringing together Latvian and foreign professionals to share experiences on preventing and combating money laundering.
To gain a broader understanding of the daily work of foreign experts, the project provided an opportunity for Latvian officials to participate in study visits to other law enforcement agencies in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In total, 71 study visits were conducted, involving 211 individuals from the Main Criminal Police Department, especially the Forensic Department’s DNA, document, IT, audio, and accounting expertise units, as well as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Four of these study visits were organized in cooperation with the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (ØKOKRIM) in the field of combating environmental crime. Representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Latvia, the State Environmental Service, and the Nature Conservation Agency also participated in these visits.
The opportunity to participate in study visits and attend seminars has significantly contributed to the improvement of the qualifications and practical experience of State Police employees. Employees have evaluated these activities as successful and have indicated various benefits, especially highlighting the opportunity to develop international experience, acquire new contacts, and exchange the latest information on investigation methods.
Training and study visits on combating environmental and economic crimes took place within the framework of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 programme’s project “Support to the State Police for increasing effectiveness and quality of economic crime investigation in Latvia” (project number EEZ/VP/2020/1).
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