Guests from Germany impressed by technological progress and quality of training for officers in Lithuanian Police

Last week, a delegation from the Police Academy of the Berlin Police (Germany) paid a visit to Lithuania. The visit by the representatives of the police training institution to the Lithuanian Police School took place under the international cooperation program Erasmus+. The week with the guests was productive – representatives from both countries shared their knowledge, experience, challenges and innovations in the training of officers, participated in the process of training police officers, and visited the police institutions.

During the week, the guests watched and tried out tactics, shooting and instructor training sessions at the Lithuanian Police School. Colleagues spared no praise for the highly qualified school instructors, the excellent condition of the classrooms, the equipment, the training spaces, the order and the discipline. “Both the staff and the learning space exceeded our expectations. We were fascinated by the discipline of the cadets. It is very commendable that attention is being paid to the physical preparation of future officers, and more shooting lessons are taking place in Lithuania than at our academy,” said instructor Kevin Gilmore of the Berlin Academy.

During the intensive program, the members of the delegation visited the Police Department, the Force Management Board, had a look at the vehicles and equipment of the mobile company. Colleagues from Germany were impressed by the simulation rooms, firearms, equipment and shooting range of the Anti-terrorist Operations Unit ARAS.

According to German experts, technological solutions such as a centralized police vehicle movement system, electronic record completion, and a common set of force management systems are a major technological breakthrough.

The representatives of the schools presented their institutions, compared the similarities and differences between the training and police work systems. “During the week, we not only gained professional knowledge from each other, but also compared the nuances of legal regulation and work organization,” said Darius Baniulis, an instructor at the Lithuanian Police School who took care of the reception of colleagues. The tactical solutions are similar in both countries, but the equipment used can be identified as one of the differences. For example, the electroshock weapon Taser used in Lithuania is not used in Germany.

The members of the German delegation emphasized that it was difficult to implement new solutions in the Federal Republic of Germany quickly and efficiently, as police activities are dealt with differently in all 16 states, which posed a number of problems.

This meeting is a great opportunity to share the experience of both countries and find more opportunities for cooperation.