Liepna residents urge more police near asylum centre
Friday 11th September 2026 on 17:30 in
Latvia
Residents of Liepna, a village in Alūksne Municipality, have asked for a stronger police presence near the local asylum seekers centre, LSM reported. They say some residents of the centre have filmed children and women, entered private properties and behaved improperly in public. The State Police says no incidents have been recorded in which centre residents posed a threat to local people.
About 20 residents met with Latvian Television outside the Liepna community centre on a weekday afternoon to discuss their concerns. Liepna Parish has slightly more than 500 registered residents, and 50 of them signed and submitted a collective petition about public order. They said they would collect more signatures if there were no changes.
The petition calls for a greater police presence. After a meeting between residents and the responsible services at the end of August, the centre’s management discussed behaviour in public places and compliance with Latvian law with the asylum seekers.
“This included loud behaviour, leaving rubbish in places not intended for it and being in courtyards,” said Loreta Jargane, head of the Liepna asylum seekers centre. Police officers also explained at the meeting that such incidents should be reported.
The centre is not a closed institution, so its residents are allowed to be in public places. Since it opened in 2023, police have registered 43 incidents involving centre residents. Some were related to alcohol use, while others involved internal conflicts. Police said no criminal offences against local residents had been registered.
Police services have visited the centre more than 100 times this year, mainly for preventive purposes. If information indicates that a person from the centre may pose a risk to public safety, police prepare a report for the State Border Guard, which can then move the person to another institution. Police said two such reports had been prepared since the centre opened.
The authorities said they would continue monitoring the situation and urged residents to report each specific offence to the police.