From May 20 to 23, 2025, the State Police and the State Police College organized a four-day exchange of experience and training on police service practices in organizing human remains search operations. The training took place within the framework of the Internal Security Fund project No. VP/IDF/2024/2, titled "Strengthening the Fight against Serious, Organized, and Cross-Border Crime and Fostering Cooperation with Participating Countries."
The event was attended by 65 State Police officials who enhanced and reinforced their knowledge and practical skills acquired during previous training in October 2024. They also learned new skills in working with technical equipment – a probe and, for the first time, a georadar – for searching for human remains.
To strengthen international cooperation and share best practices in canine and criminal police fields, six foreign experts with three service dogs from the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic also participated in the training. Three representatives from the association “BEZVESTS.LV” also took part.
On the opening day of the training, foreign experts gave presentations on their service experience and best practices in organizing human remains search operations. The day concluded with the planning and briefing of practical tasks for the involved participants.
Practical training took place in Ādaži municipality. The territory was divided into sectors, which were searched according to the developed plan. Based on the experience gained during previous training, the algorithm for planning and organizing search operations was improved. Technical equipment acquired within the project, such as the probe and georadar, was also used in the practical exercises.
On the final day of the training, participants analyzed the work done, evaluated the results, and received certificates of participation in the training. The opportunity to cooperate with foreign colleagues, share experiences, and strengthen cooperation between State Police structural units and the association “BEZVESTS.LV” was highly valued.
Project VP/IDF/2024/2 is being implemented within the framework of the European Union's Internal Security Fund 2021–2027 programming period. The managing authority for the project in Latvia is the Ministry of Interior. The project implementation period is from July 16, 2024, to June 30, 2026.
