Dombrava seeks clearer rules on weapons use at the border

Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava plans to propose clarifying the law on when border personnel may use weapons and special means, LSM reported. He said officials must be confident they will not face criminal charges for using them lawfully.

The proposal follows recent incidents on the Latvia-Belarus border, including threats against Latvian soldiers and an attempt to bring a group of migrants into Latvia. Border surveillance equipment has also been damaged again.

On Monday evening, at least 20 people, accompanied by three masked individuals, tried to cross the border illegally. Latvia’s National Armed Forces said the escorts were armed, threatened Latvian soldiers and pushed the migrants towards Latvia. The soldiers stopped the crossing.

Several hours later, masked individuals entered Latvian territory, damaged an electrical distribution cabinet and stole two border surveillance cameras. They had returned to Belarus before border guards arrived.

Dombrava said current law already permits firearms to be used in certain circumstances, including when someone’s life or health is at risk or when a person illegally crosses the external border and cannot be detained by other means. He said the powers to use special means are also sufficiently broad.

The minister wants the law to make clearer the protections for border guards, soldiers and other officials who lawfully use weapons or special means while guarding the border. He said he wants to prevent personnel from hesitating when they encounter armed people because they fear criminal prosecution. Dombrava has not yet specified the wording of the amendments or when they might be advanced.

He said those damaging border infrastructure act quickly and professionally, causing damage and returning to Belarus in about a minute. Deploying enough border guards to reach every such incident that quickly would require a very large number of people along the entire border.