A ceremonious event marking the placement of a time capsule in the foundation stone of the State Border Guard College's K9 Center took place in Rēzekne on December 13, 2024.
“Construction of the State Border Guard College's K9 Center has begun and is progressing successfully. The construction of the center is a significant step in improving the training of dog handlers and dogs, as the new infrastructure is essential to meet modern requirements,” stated General Guntis Pujāts, Chief of the State Border Guard.
With the words "The border guard was, is, and will be the guardian and defender of our land, Latvia. The border guard service dog was, is, and will be a reliable assistant to the border guard in the responsible task of guarding the homeland. A trained and versatile dog handler is one of the fundamental elements of the State Border Guard. The base for the training of dog handlers and service dogs is here - at the State Border Guard College!" a time capsule was ceremoniously placed in the foundation stone of the new State Border Guard College K9 Center complex.
The event was attended by Kaspars Āboliņš, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Inese Paudere, Senior Expert of the Educational Content Support Department, Education Content Department of the State Education Content Center, General Guntis Pujāts, Chief of the State Border Guard, Mariks Petrušins, Director of the State Border Guard College, Aleksandrs Petrovskis, Head of the K9 Service of the State Border Guard College, as well as representatives and supervisors of the companies responsible for construction.
Sergejs Bogdanovs, Chairman of the Board of SIA "Latgales būve," acknowledged that it was a great honor and responsibility for the construction company to participate in the implementation of this significant project.
The new K9 Center complex is being built with the aim of providing centralized and development-oriented training for dog handlers and service dogs of Latvian law enforcement agencies, Customs, and the National Armed Forces, as well as continuing training for dog handlers from European Union member states and countries cooperating with Latvia.
The construction of the K9 Center is taking place within the framework of the project "Construction of the first stage of the State Border Guard College K9 Center complex," as a result of which a new K9 Center specialized in basic training for service dogs will be built to implement a centralized and development-oriented training system for law enforcement dog handlers and service dogs. The new K9 Center complex will ensure the full and modern implementation of tasks, improve the working conditions of personnel and the maintenance of service dogs, as well as ensure the safe and environmentally friendly storage of training materials. The project is scheduled for completion by August 31, 2026.
The project is being implemented within the framework of the Financial Instrument for Border Management and Visa Policy National Programme for 2021-2027, the aim of which is to create a strong and modern security for Latvia's external border, thus helping to ensure a high level of internal security in the European Union.
