The State Police, in cooperation with the State Provision Agency, has commenced the implementation of a project funded by the European Union's Internal Security Fund for the period 2021-2027. The project, numbered VP/IDF/2024/5, aims to "Strengthen the State Police's response mobility and counterterrorism capabilities by creating a practical training center." The total project funding exceeds 10 million euros, with a significant portion financed by the European Union's Internal Security Fund.
The primary objective of this project is to enhance the State Police's counterterrorism effectiveness and strengthen its mobile response and investigative capacities. This will be achieved by evaluating and improving training content, providing modern theoretical and practical learning environments, and utilizing innovative teaching methods and equipment. As a result, the project will modernize the police working environment, improve training and practical exercise opportunities, including in the field of intervention, and develop the State Police's international cooperation. Ultimately, this will increase the effectiveness of response capabilities, enhance public protection, public order, and overall internal state security.
To achieve these goals, the project will implement several measures and activities, including the development of a minimal design for a comprehensive development project for the Internal Security Academy (ISA), with a 3D visualization of the entire complex. Additionally, infrastructure will be constructed to strengthen the State Police's response mobility and counterterrorism capabilities, simulating urban environments.
In a modern training environment, police officers will be provided with the conditions to effectively acquire complex competencies, develop tactical skills, and strengthen inter-institutional cooperation. The project plans to acquire a shooting range, construct a climbing wall, and a tactical driving range. It will also establish stationary and non-stationary interactive modules within the training center, such as simulated street intersections, three-story buildings for training, as well as simulations of apartments, cafes, offices, shops, labyrinths, an operations control center, a gas station, a train carriage, a tunnel, a basement, and a railway station. These simulations will provide trainees with a realistic training environment, allowing them to perform various tasks and simulations of incidents, thereby strengthening and improving counterterrorism, mobile response, and investigative capabilities.
The State Police and the State Police College are responsible for the implementation of the project's activities, with the State Provision Agency involved as a cooperation partner.
The project is being implemented within the framework of the Internal Security Fund's 2021-2027 planning period, with the Ministry of the Interior as the leading authority in Latvia. The total funding for project No. VP/IDF/2024/5 "Strengthening the State Police's response mobility and counterterrorism capabilities by creating a practical training center" is 10,598,882 euros, of which 7,949,162 euros is from the European Union's Internal Security Fund, and 2,649,720 euros is from the state budget. The implementation period is from April 1, 2024, to December 31, 2029.
