Latvija in brief - 2008-09-03

  • 2008-09-03
A probe into Riga's Ziemeli and Brasa police departments on Aug. 29 shocked Interior Minister Maris Seglins. In one of the departments there were four employees at work instead of 130, and in the other one, three out of 140, said Seglins. Heads of the police departments, when asked about office hours, said that they had to work until 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Fridays. At the initiative of Latvian Interior Minister Mareks Seglins, two raids were carried out in police departments to find out how many people were really at work in the office. Seglins on Tuesday informed the police trade union representatives about the situation and asked the State Police interior security service to carry out a probe in these police departments by September 15. The minister told the press that policemen and trade unions are demanding a pay increase, but after the inspections, there is a question whether to do it at all. "If a payraise has been demanded, it should be earned," said Seglins.

More than one third or 36 percent of residents have started looking for jobs closer to  home due to the rising fuel prices according to CV Market Internet Recruitment Company. A spokesperson reported that currently 29 percent of Latvian residents use public transport for getting to work. The report also stated that 9 percent of Latvians carpool together to work. As many as 26 percent of Latvian respondents and 36 percent of Estonian respondents said that rising fuel prices have not influenced them.

 Newly formed Latvian ice hockey team Riga Dinamo defeated Russian ice hockey team Amur by a score of 4:2 in the opening game of this season's Continental Ice Hockey League (KHL). LETA news agency reported that Aleksandrs Nizivijs, Marcel Hossa, Mikelis Redlihs and Matt Ellison scored the goals for Dinamo. During the game, Amur had 18 penalty minutes, while Dinamo had 20 penalty minutes. Riga's Dinamo will play its first regular season game at home on September 11 against Russian club MVD, coached by the head coach of the Latvian national ice hockey team Olegs Znaroks.