On 15 August 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers issued an order on a project to be implemented within the Recovery Fund entitled “Introduction of technical security and digital solutions for the efficient functioning of the investigation process, improving public order and security monitoring”, which will result into relieving the day-to-day work of law enforcement authorities to ensure public safety. The project will be implemented by the Information Centre of the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the State Police and SJSC Latvian State Roads.
In the implementation of the project, which is part of the national initiative “Modernisation of management and the digital transformation of services, including the business environment”, it is planned to extend the use of technological platforms based on video observation solutions for the recognition and accumulation of national registration plates of vehicles moving in the territory of Latvia, by registering their location, date, photographs, a photograph and other parameters. This will contribute to a more rapid investigation and detection of criminal offences, will detect the participation of vehicles in road traffic without a valid technical inspection or compulsory civil insurance policy or, failing to comply with the rules for the payment of tolls for the use of roads.
The introduction of a single technological platform for the recognition and storage of vehicle national registration plates will use modern technological solutions in line with current data security requirements to promote public order and security in the country. For example, it will be possible to quickly identify the national registration number marks of vehicles and compare them with the vehicle lists defined in the system. When a coincidence is matched, information on the movement of such a vehicle will automatically be communicated for further reaction. Initially, the movement of vehicles is intended to be fixed in approximately 100 places on the roads maintained by SJSC Latvian State Roads.
It is also planned to launch the development of phase 1 of the Criminal Procedure Information System (KRASS), which would ensure the possibility of initiating the implementation of the investigation process in the electronic environment, as well as the exchange of data in the electronic file book of the Ministry of Justice and the traceability of cases, as well as the availability and disclosure of information.
At present, in addition to the manual circulation of documents, information on criminal offences registered in the country, the criminal proceedings initiated and procedural decisions taken in criminal proceedings should be entered into the KRASS, which is manual and laborious process. Starting KRASS phase 1, the format of some process paper documents will be changed to the form of electronic documents. Electronic documents will also be able to be signed, harmonized and further transmitted in the digital environment, creating a single working environment.
At present, as the proportion of technology increases in everyday life, the opportunities and the need to implement safe integration of information and communication technologies also increase, so that it is possible to optimize the daily cooperation of various services and supervisory authorities in a specific field, observing data security requirements.
The costs of the project are planned at a maximum of EUR 3 337 856, including EUR 2 807 280 from the Recovery Fund and a state budget financing to cover the costs of value added tax of up to EUR 530 576.
