Latvian student police detained for whizzing at Jewish memorial

RIGA (BNS) - Security men of Petit publishing house on the evening of
May 22 in the Old Town detained two students of the Police Academy
College who were urinating at the Jewish memorial plaque.

The two were detained at around 11 p.m. and taken to police station,
Riga police official Peteris Plesavnieks said.

At the police station the two students were identified and were
released later. A criminal case has not been opened for the time being.
Plesavnieks said the decision on opening a criminal case will be made
after all circumstances are checked out.

It should be also determined if the youths were urinating at the
memorial plaque purposefully or just by coincidence. It should be noted
that there are several night clubs, frequented by the city's youths,
near the Jewish memorial, for example Pulkvedim Neviens Neraksta
(Nobody Writes to Colonel) and Kabata (Pocket).

Latvian Police Academy spokesman Andrejs Filipovs said on May 23 the
two detained youths are police college second-year students.

The two were sipping beer the evening of May 22 when some quite natural
needs appeared, but as there was not a restroom around and it was dark,
the youths decided they might do it just on the street. Filipovs
stressed the students did not know the place they chose for calming
down the voice of nature was right at the Jewish memorial plaque.

But just as they were relieving themselves, security men of Petit ran
out, hit one youth on the head with a rubber baton, then hand-cuffed
them and took them to the police station. The two youths did not
resist, said Filipovs.

He said both students have received good references both at academy and
at work, but after the incident they may be excluded from police
college.