The Police Academy of Latvia is an accredited state institution of higher education established on 22 May 1991. The Rector of the Academy is associated professor, general, Dr.iur. Vitolds Zahars. The Academy prepares officials for the specialized civil service of the Ministry of the Interior (the State Police, the State Border Guard), for the Prison Administration and lawyers for public administration, local governments and law enforcement institutions. The Academy ensures indivisibility of academic and professional studies and research. It offers to acquire academic knowledge and professional skills, academic degrees and professional qualification in legal science, in spheres of civil defence and security as well as in public administration.
This year the Academy celebrates its 17th anniversary. Since its establishment the Academy has become an accredited, autonomous state institution of academic and professional higher education and research where studies and research are performed mainly in law. The number of students has increased and now that it is approximately, 2400, but the number of the graduates of the Academy is more than 9000. Much effort has been spent on improvement of the facilities as well as on development of international cooperation. The Academy has become an internationally known higher education institution.
There are competitions of scientific articles for both the students and the academic staff of the Academy. There are held scientific conferences and seminars and one can publish their article in the annual collection of the articles “Proceeding of the Police Academy of Latvia” and “Scientific articles of students of the Police Academy of Latvia”. The findings of recent researches are described in the journal “Criminal and Administrative Justice’. Monthly newspaper “News of the PAL” informs about recent events at the Academy.
Today the demand for good education is increasing rapidly, therefore the Academy is moving towards quality, spirituality, setting higher standards of responsibility for the staff and the students. We are proud to have 10 professors and 12 associate professors. The total number of the academic staff is 120.
The Academy offers various social and sports activities. The policemen’s choir “Iustus” was founded 15 years ago and it is the only one in the Baltic States. The Academy has also an ensemble of lady singers ‘Rota”. The Sports Club provides training in close combat, basket-ball, volley-ball, shooting, field-and-track athletics, boxing, and table tennis. Everybody can demonstrate their achievements at the Academy’s annual sports competition. Our students have gained outstanding success at the national competitions because they are trained by teachers who have scored high places in the Olympic Games and national championships.
The Students Council represents the interests Academic students at the Latvian Students Union and the Students section of the Latvian Lawyers Society.
The Academy has developed its own traditions. Every academic years begins with the Studies day and an international scientific conference, the springtime starts with the Forest days, in May we celebrate the Mother’s day and the anniversary of the Academy, in November – the anniversary of the Proclamation of the Latvian state, in Christmas we come together for a service.
The Academy cooperates with 16 foreign higher education institutions and involves students in ERASMUS exchange and research programmes. Our students have an opportunity to study abroad for 3-12 months.
The students use computer rooms, sports halls, English language Self-Access Centre, the fundamental library and the reading room with the electronic catalogue. The Fundamental library has joined in the library information system ALEPH-500 and the students have access to the joint catalogue of 8 libraries – information about books, audio-visual materials, electronic documents, periodicals. The library also provides free of charge connection to the WiFi wireless internet.
Since 2003 the Academy is participating in the CEPOL (the European Police College), our academic staff are attending courses and conferences held by the CEPOL and five courses have been organised by and held at the Academy.