Closure For Tukums Regional Police?

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Latvian Police Casino Robbery Attempt
January 28, 2011

Tuesday of this week saw an unusual casino robbery in Latvia’s city of Jekabpils.  According to reports, Five armed robbers, four of which were active police officers in uniform, stormed the “Fenikss” casino in the early hours of Tuesday morning in what ended up being a botched heist attempt.  In the ensuing car chase and shoot-out a pursuing police officer was killed and numerous people were injured.

After arrests were made it was established that two of the robbers were members of the Tukums Regional Police force and another two were part of the “Alfa” elite police response squad.  The Tukums police officers had previously been discharged for accepting bribes but had been reinstated after pressure from the police union.

Latvia’s Interior Minister Murniece called for immediate police department checks across the board stating that many people could lose their jobs.  The Minister also expressed his disgust at what he labelled “Serious problems with discipline” within the Alfa elite police force and suspended the Alfa Chief of Police Andris Zaušs, as well as the chief of police in Riga, Ints Kuzis from service.  Murniece has since come under pressure from the unions and the Council of the Home Office has been called in to deal with the situation.

Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis, has given assurance that the interior minister’s job is not on the line over the incident and has pledged his support and agreement in her calls for police reform.  He reportedly stated that there had been numerous instances where the police union had forced unfit officers to be reinstated regardless of the circumstances and that this practice should come to an end.


Well, sentences have been handed down and names have been named. Sorry about the machine translation.

The raid on the "Phoenix": the bandits took a long time

December 20, 2012 15:56

Zemgale District Court issued a harsh sentence participants robbery gambling hall in Jekabpils - Arvo Žagars sentenced to life imprisonment, and his brothers Dennis and Paul Hristoforidi - for 20 and 18 years in prison. Stanislav Babelis Leonid Grooms and Edgar Parushkin received 13 years in prison

The most severe sentence was a former police Arvo Zagars, which the court sent to prison for life

Stanislav Berkul, who was accused by one incident of theft in Jurmala, received a suspended sentence of 6 months. 

All the defendants, except Berkul, also sentenced to confiscation of property and the Policing of three years. 

Robbery gambling hall "Phoenix" in Jekabpils happened January 25, 2011. During the arrest the robbers was killed by a police Andris Znotinsh. Participants in the case were also charged in several robberies and thefts committed in Tukums and Jurmala. 

Attorney Paul Sondors demanded life imprisonment for Arvo Zagars and Denis Hristoforidi. For Paul Hristoforidi he demanded 20 years in prison for Babelisa, Konyukhova and Parushkina - 14 years with confiscation of property. 

Full text of the sentence will be available on February 22, and then within 10 days, it can be appealed. The prosecutor has not yet said whether it intends to appeal, and the lawyers of the accused said that, most likely, it will appeal. 

Turns out the sister of one of the perps named above, herself a Tukums police officer was briefly a renter of a flat in one of our buildings. All accounts are that she is shocked and appalled at her brothers actions but I mention it to illustrate what a tiny little burg of intrigue the town of Tukums is where everyone knows everyone else's business. Does anyone really expect folks to believe that these criminals operated in a vacuum? Dirty cops doing B&E's in Tukums and Jurmala over a period of time would leave a hard to ignore stench. But it happened and ended badly.
I myself have to go back to deal with the Tukums police in two days over the false assault charge made against me as mentioned previously. So that will be another interesting blog post.