Interior minister proposes disciplinary review of State Police chief

Latvia’s Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava will propose a disciplinary review of State Police chief Armands Ruks over what he described as systematic violations in the police force, LSM reported. The proposal follows several cases involving police officers who drove while intoxicated, including an off-duty officer who killed a man in Priekule.

Dombrava told TV3’s 900 Seconds that he had received information on Thursday morning about a policewoman who drove with an alcohol level of almost 3.5 parts per thousand and caused a road accident.

The case will be referred to the Internal Security Bureau, Dombrava said. He added that it indicated systematic problems in the police force that were undermining public trust.

“I plan to initiate a disciplinary review of the State Police chief in connection with these systematic violations,” Dombrava said.

The review should assess whether everything possible had been done to prevent cases in which police officers commit crimes while intoxicated, the minister said.

“It is unacceptable that such serious cases have happened just a few days apart,” Dombrava said.

In an interview with Latvian Radio, Ruks said he saw systematic problems across society. The State Police records about 3,000 intoxicated people driving each year, he said. Last year, three police officers were found driving while intoxicated outside working hours, and all three were dismissed.

Asked whether he had considered resigning, Ruks said he currently saw no reason to step down.

Ruks also told Latvian Television that it was impossible to monitor what every police inspector did in their free time and that this was not the duty of the police chief.