On 17 June, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Minister for the Interior, Jānis Dombrava, at Riga Castle to discuss the Minister’s work priorities in the field of internal security.
During the meeting, the President stressed the importance of public trust in the internal security services, which are the first responders in a wide range of crisis situations. “Firefighters and rescue personnel, police officers and border guards strengthen the country’s security every day through their professionalism and dedication. To ensure motivation and enhance the capacity of these services, additional human resources, infrastructure development and the introduction of technological solutions are required,” E. Rinkēvičs emphasised.
An important topic of discussion was the further development of the civil protection system, including the construction of shelters, the modernisation and expansion of the warning siren network, particularly in the municipalities along Latvia’s eastern border, as well as technological improvements to cell broadcast alert systems and to the “112.lv” website and mobile application. The President encouraged the Minister for the Interior to work closely with local government leaders to ensure a common understanding of the responsibilities of civil protection commissions and the role of municipalities. President Rinkēvičs also called on the Ministry of the Interior to maintain close dialogue with operators of critical infrastructure when planning security measures.
