Support to the State Police for increasing effectiveness and quality of economic crime investigation in Latvia

About this project

<p style="text-align: justify">The main aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the Latvian State Police in combating economic crimes by improving both the technical capacity of the responsible departments and raising the knowledge and skills of officers, to make the process of the investigation of economic crimes more effective and reliable. There will be activities aimed at improving the professional skills and improving inter-agency cooperation, which follows the recommendations in the Moneyval report.</p> <p>The main activities in the project include:</p> <ul> <li>strengthening the economic crime case-processing capacity, by <ul> <li>upgrading the infrastructure of the forensic laboratories at the Forensic Service Department;</li> <li>introducing new forensic methods;</li> <li>training of staff (seminars, training sessions, conferences);</li> </ul> </li> <li>supporting the capacity development of law enforcement authorities, by <ul> <li>training of professionals on the combating of economic crime and corruption</li> <li>installing a new analytical tool</li> <li>expanding and upgrading the Economic Crime Enforcement Department;</li> <li>performing a gap analysis on existing cooperation and coordination mechanisms;</li> <li>capacity building and peer exchange visits to enhance knowledge and skills of the Latvian State Police;</li> <li>peer exchange visits on good practices regarding investigation of complex crimes.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

This project powerfully demonstrates the value of international cooperation, particularly through bilateral partnerships. The sustained and highly productive collaboration with Norway's ØKOKRIM has been a key driver of success. By organizing six targeted activities—study visits, workshops, and specialized training—the project facilitated a deep and meaningful exchange of knowledge between Latvian and Norwegian law enforcement professionals. This cooperation went beyond simply fostering closer ties between the two police forces; it resulted in a substantial transfer of specialized expertise in the fight against economic and environmental crime. The final meeting in Riga, held in February 2024, reinforced the project's achievements and established a strong foundation for the partnership's continued success.

Project partners

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Donor project partner· France
• National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) Donor project partner· Norway
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Project partner· France
• Latvian Provision State Agency Project partner· Latvia
• Latvian Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior Project partner· Latvia