„I support the position of the Minister of the Interior that our border guards must have the right to use greater force to defend both themselves and our state. We have reached a point where officers sometimes do not dare to use even firearms simply because they then face a long and extensive judicial process. So here, probably, a proper balance must also be found in the state between the law and the protection of our state,“ R. Kaunas said to LRT radio on Monday.
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According to R. Kaunas, the very fact that illegal tunnels being dug are discussed in the public space shows that “the system is able to identify them,” yet he admitted that this is an additional threat both to migration policy and to state security.
“Likewise, uncontrolled migration from the Latvian side is a threat. We must know very clearly who comes to us and for what purpose, so that we can check those individuals and then make decisions. And if they enter our country uncontrolled or without our knowledge, that in itself is a threat,” he emphasized.
In turn, the Minister of the Interior Martynas Katelynas said last week that although border guards are equipped with all the necessary means to defend themselves, the fear of criminal prosecution may influence their use.
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“We see that a judicial process was initiated against one of the border protection service employees when he used a weapon during service (…). Other officers, seeing this (…), feel demotivated to use that weapon, so let’s not turn the situation of the officers into hostages,” he said.
As reported by BNS, the Vilnius District Court is currently examining the case of border guard Karolis Ilgevičius, who is accused of murder and abuse of power. He is on trial for shooting a driver who disobeyed officers by shooting at the tire of a smuggler’s car trying to escape.
VSAT chief Rustamas Liubajevas said last week that recently there have been increasing cases where the border is attempted to be crossed through tunnels, with more than ten such cases recorded since January.
