Latvian police officer caught driving stolen car in Lithuania

PANEVEZYS - A Latvian police officer has been caught driving a stolen car in the northern Lithuanian town of Panevezys, LETA reported.

Latvian State Police spokesman Aigars Berzinswas reported as saying that Latvian authorities have already left for the country.

The driver of the car, which was a BMW X5, arounsed the suspicions of local officers when he produced a police badge instead of a driver's liscence upon request.

The car had a liscence plate issued in Germany and was reported stolen about a month ago, the news agency reported.

Officers are still trying to determine what the police officer caught driving the car could be charged with.

The detention highlights the increasingly high-profile issue of corruption in the Latvian police force. A number of recent cases - including complaints of racially motivated attacks and ongoing robberies - have reportedly drawn inadequate responses from the police force.

BMW's have disproportionate theft rates in Latvia.