The Ministries of Defense, Interior and Justice are preparing changes to the regulation, which will allow the retirement age of interior affairs officers with special service rank and soldiers to continue their service while receiving a pension.
It is also envisaged that people who have reached the age of 40 will be able to start their service. At present, Latvian citizens aged between 18 and 40 are accepted for professional service.
These proposals will be prepared on the initiative of the Minister of the Interior. Dimitrijs Trofimovs, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, confirmed to LETA that such changes were already in the Ministry’s plans.
According to the Cabinet’s decision on Thursday, the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry will prepare such amendments and submit them to the government together with the draft laws related to the 2025 budget. In the justice sector, such changes could apply to those serving in the Prison Administration.
The State Secretary confirmed that such changes are necessary because of the shortage of people in the interior affairs services, and that with the current “understaffing” the State needs to ensure that people continue to work in the interior affairs services rather than moving to civilian structures when they reach retirement age.
Trofimovs also confirmed that such a regulation exists, for example, in Estonia.
Also, Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Prpgressives) announced at the government meeting that the Ministry of Defense will prepare proposals to amend the law to provide that a soldier who reaches retirement age has the right to continue serving while receiving a retirement pension. At the same time, it is planned to provide for the possibility for people to join the military service after the age of 40.
Source: BNS
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