Lithuanian Police Force#Structure and branches

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}

{{Infobox law enforcement agency

| agencyname = Lithuanian Police

| nativename = Lietuvos Policija

| patch =

| patchcaption =

| logo = Logo of the Police of Lithuania.svg

| logocaption = Insignia of the Lithuanian Police

| badge =

| badgecaption =

| flag = Flag of the Police of Lithuania.svg{{!}}border

| flagcaption = Flag of the Lithuanian Police

| imagesize =

| motto =

| mottotranslated =

| formedmonthday =

| formedyear = 1990

| country = Lithuania

| countryabbr =

| national = yes

| federal =

| constitution1 = Law on Police

| police = yes

| speciality1 =

| headquarters = Saltoniškių g. 19, LT-08105 Vilnius, Lithuania

| minister1name =

| minister1pfo =

| chief1name = Arūnas Paulauskas

| chief1position = Police Commissioner General

| governingbody = Ministry of the Interior

| oversightbody = Ministry of Internal Affairs

| employees = 7,007 (2021){{Citation|title=Policijos pareigūnų mažėja, bet traukiasi ir nusikalstamumas|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/straipsnis-policijos-pareigunu-mazeja-bet-traukiasi-ir-nusikalstamumas|website=osp.stat.gov.lt}}

| budget = €355 million (2025){{Cite web |title=2025 – 2027 Metų Biudžeto Projekto Apžvalga|url=https://finmin.lrv.lt/public/canonical/1729668128/23864/Ai%C5%A1kinamasis+ra%C5%A1tas_1+priedas_ap%C5%BEvalga%2520(4).pdf|website=finmin.lrv.lt}}

| website = {{URL|https://policija.lrv.lt/en|policija.lrv.lt}}

| footnotes =

| reference =

| chief9position =

| chief9name =

}}

Law enforcement in Lithuania is the responsibility of a national police under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. The main institution is the Lithuanian Police Department ({{langx|lt|Lietuvos Policijos Departamentas}}) led by the Police Commissar General.

History

The origins of the Lithuanian police could be traced back to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, when the first Boni Ordinis Commission (literally, Good Order Commission) was established in Gardinas in 1776 (later in Brest, Minsk, Kaunas and other cities). These institutions were directly subordinate to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, the regional magnates were resisting the reforms as they saw the new institutions as a restriction of their authority.

In 1775, the Permanent Council of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth established a Police department, but it did not have the authority over the Boni Ordinis Commissions and served primarily as an advisory body. In 1791, the Great Sejm established the Police Commission of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A separate Police Commission of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the headquarters in Vilnius was established in 1793. It is considered to be the predecessor of the contemporary Ministry of the Interior.

The origins of the contemporary police are the volunteer militia formed in 1918 after the declaration of the Republic of Lithuania. The uniforms were approved in 1919 and the first laws regulating the police were adopted on 14 May 1920. The organisation was formally renamed to police on 1 January 1924. The police was divided into public police and criminal police. There were several reforms and reorganizations in the following years and the Police Department was established on 1 January 1935, which composed of public, border, railway, private and water police divisions. In 1927, police employed 1262 officers, while in 1940 police had 2735 officers.

The current form of police was established on 11 December 1990, following the adoption of the Law on Police. In 1991, Lithuania joined Interpol.{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau - Interpol|url=https://lkpb.policija.lrv.lt/en/international-cooperation/interpol-europol-sirene/interpol|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916145216/https://lkpb.policija.lrv.lt/en/international-cooperation/interpol-europol-sirene/interpol|archive-date=16 September 2019|url-status=live|publisher=Government of Lithuania}} Since joining the European Union, Lithuania is also a member of Europol.

Lithuanian policeman in interwar Kaunas, Lithuania.jpg|Lithuanian traffic police officer during the Interwar period.

Lietuvos policija by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Lithuanian police officers in 2022

Lietuvos policija 2 by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Lithuanian police officer in 2022

Lithuanian Police A6 (2018).jpg|Police car in Vilnius

LTPD cruisers by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Police cars in Vilnius

Structure and branches

Lithuanian Police Department is established under the Ministry of the Interior. It is led by the Police Commissioner General. The department consists of ten County Police Headquarters ({{langx|lt|apskrities vyriausiasis policijos komisariatas}}, literally county chief police commissariat). They are further divided into sub-units of local police.

Additionally, the Police Department consists of the following specialized institutions:

  • 25px Traffic Police Service
  • 25px Criminal Police Bureau
  • 27x27px Police Anti-terrorist Operations Unit ARAS
  • 25px Forensic Science Centre
  • 27x27px Police School

Pareigunine by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Headquarters of the Police Department (LTPD)

Vilniaus AVPK by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Vilnius County Police Headquarters

Vln1PK by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Vilnius City 1st Police Station

Kaunas._Policija.JPG|Kaunas County Police Headquarters

LKPT by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|Traffic Police Headquarters

Aras hq by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|ARAS police tactical unit headquarters

Ranks

Lithuanian police use the following system of ranks:[http://www.infolex.lt/ta/41119:str25 Lietuvos Respublikos vidaus tarnybos statuto patvirtinimo įstatymas.] Retrieved 2020-03-04.[http://www.vgtu.lt/files/1624/81/4/15_0/vidaus-tarnybos-pareigunu-laipsniai.pdf Gintaras Paulaskas "Vidaus tarnybos pareigūnų laipsniai."] Retrieved 2020-03-04.

style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
style="background-color:#cccccc;"

! rowspan="2" |50px

! colspan="1" |Highest rank officer

! colspan="3" |Senior rank officers

! colspan="3" |Middle rank officers

! colspan="4" | Junior rank officers

style="text-align:center;"

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

| 50px

style="text-align:center;"

|25px

| {{lang|lt|Generalinis komisaras}}

| {{lang|lt|Vyriausiasis komisaras}}

| {{lang|lt|Vyresnysis komisaras}}

| {{lang|lt|Komisaras}}

| {{lang|lt|Komisaras inspektorius}}

| {{lang|lt|Vyresnysis inspektorius}}

| {{lang|lt|Inspektorius}}

| {{lang|lt|Viršila}}

| {{lang|lt|Vyresnysis policininkas}}

| {{lang|lt|Policininkas}}

| {{lang|lt|Jaunesnysis policininkas}}

style="text-align:center;"

|25px

| Commissioner general

| Chief
commissioner

| Senior
commissioner

| Commissioner

| Commissioner
inspector

| Senior
inspector

| Inspector

| Sergeant (police)

| Senior
police officer

| Police officer

| Junior
police officer

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web

|title=Lietuvos policija - Istorija

|url=https://policija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-mus/istorija

|access-date=28 April 2022

|language=lt

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508192140/https://policija.lrv.lt/lt/apie-mus/istorija

|archive-date=8 May 2021

|url-status=live

|publisher=Government of Lithuania

}}

{{cite web

|title=LDK istorija: Policijos atsiradimas

|trans-title=History of GDL: the emergence of the police

|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/istorija/ldk-istorija-policijos-atsiradimas-582-389534

|access-date=27 June 2023

|language=lt

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627105042/https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/istorija/ldk-istorija-policijos-atsiradimas-582-389534

|archive-date=27 June 2023

|url-status=live

|publisher=15min.lt

}}

{{cite web

|title=Policinių institucijų raida Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje 1775-1794 m

|trans-title=Evolution of police institutions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1775-1794

|url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/42112

|access-date=27 June 2023

|language=lt

|publisher=Yearbook of Lithuanian History

|first=Liudas

|last=Glemža

}}

{{cite book

|title=Status of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in police activities of the authorities at the time of decline of the 1st Commonwealth

|url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/65900

|year=2000

|access-date=27 June 2023

|language=en

|publisher=Yearbook of Lithuanian History

|last=Srogosz

|first=Tadeusz

|isbn=8323210675

}}

{{cite web

|title=Policija tarpukariu ir šiandien: mitai apie galingą stotą, faktai apie nusikalstamumą

|url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/131866/policija-tarpukariu-ir-siandien-mitai-apie-galinga-stota-faktai-apie-nusikalstamuma

|access-date=27 June 2023

|language=lt

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731200631/https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/131866/policija-tarpukariu-ir-siandien-mitai-apie-galinga-stota-faktai-apie-nusikalstamuma

|archive-date=31 July 2021

|url-status=live

|publisher=LRT

}}

{{cite web

|title=Lietuvos policija

|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-policija/

|access-date=27 June 2023

|language=lt

|publisher=LRT

}}

{{cite web

|title=OSCE Polis - Lithuania

|url=https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/lithuania#lithuanian-police-10315

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506022155/https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/lithuania

|archive-date=6 May 2023

|access-date=27 June 2023

|website=OSCE

}}

}}

{{commons category|Police of Lithuania}}

{{Law enforcement in Lithuania}}

{{Europe topic|Law enforcement in}}

{{Lithuania topics}}