Central

The central Government is responsible for:

• Overall legislative responsibility;
• State police;
• Security police;
• Military police;
• State Fire-Fighting and Rescue Service;
• Fire safety and rescue services of institutions, organisations, and commercial companies;
• Local government fire safety, fire‑fighting, and rescue services; and
• Voluntary fire-fighter organisations.

Local

Local authorities are responsible for:

• Municipal police;
• Prevention of violations of the law;
• Provision of social rehabilitation assistance;
• Guarding and conveyance of persons arrested and under administrative arrest for administrative violations;
• Supporting the State Police and Security Police
• Fire-fighting:
• Ensuring training for employees of the local government fire safety, fire-fighting, and rescue services;
• Supporting the establishment of voluntary fire-fighters organisations; and
• Supporting activities of the State Fire-Fighting and Rescue Service in the local government's territory.

Responsible ministries/bodies

Ministry of Interior 

Sources

Fire Safety and Fire-Fighting Law

Law on Police

Military Police      (available in Latvian only)

Ministry of Interior 

COVID-19 and local authorities in Latvia

In its website, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG) has dedicated a special section that contains comprehensive information the local authorities might need in order to respond to COVID-19 crisis. The information includes:

• A list of answers to frequently asked questions,
• Links to the relevant information published elsewhere in the public authorities' websites, e.g. those of Ministry of Health, of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, etc.,
• Contact information, for example, hotline phone numbers both in Latvia and abroad,
• Links to the relevant legislation: government rules and legal acts regarding COVID-19 (for example, the Decision to postpone the tax enforcement on property),
• Video conferences and visual materials pertaining to the response actions in various fields, like measures to be taken in education, public transport, culture venues etc.