Last week, on November 27 and 28, a seminar entitled “Information technologies in investigative work” was held at the Investigators’ Training Center of the State Police College. The seminar aimed to strengthen officials’ understanding of cybersecurity and to enhance digital skills in investigative activities. The training was delivered within the framework of the European Union Internal Security Fund co-financed project “Strengthening the response mobility and anti-terrorism capabilities of the State Police by creating a practical training center”.
“Artificial intelligence has significant potential when its capabilities are used correctly and appropriately in investigative work. Therefore, this seminar helps participants understand how artificial intelligence can be applied safely and responsibly – from practical, legal, and ethical perspectives. Moreover, it provides participants with the opportunity to be among the first to familiarise themselves with the results of a recently conducted study on developments in this field,” emphasised Dmitrijs Homenko, Director of the State Police College, when opening the seminar.
During the two-day seminar, experts provided insights into current cybersecurity challenges and threats, the use of artificial intelligence solutions in investigations, and the application of neural language models, including large language models (LLMs). The Cyber Incident Response Institution CERT.LV conducted an interactive game entitled “Find the Hacker,” while researchers from the University of Latvia explained the legal and ethical aspects related to artificial intelligence and demonstrated, in practice, the use of open-source language models for speech and text data processing. These demonstrations helped participants acquire solutions applicable to their daily work. The seminar concluded with an open discussion and a summary of the knowledge gained, during which participants agreed on further steps to strengthen digital skills within law enforcement institutions.
The seminar was attended by 45 participants from various structural units of the State Police, including regional units and the State Police College, as well as representatives from the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, the Internal Security Bureau, the State Border Guard, and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Latvia.
The State Police College expresses its gratitude to the seminar participants for their active engagement, sharing of experience, and valuable discussions, as well as to the experts from the Cyber Incident Response Institution CERT.LV, a researcher and lecturer of the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia, Dr. iur. Irēna Barkāne, and an associate professor of the Faculty of Computing and Head of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Latvia, Normunds Grūzītis, for their knowledge and professional contribution. Such cooperation promotes inter-institutional collaboration and significantly enhances the digital skills of officials of the State Police and other law enforcement authorities, thereby strengthening national internal security and public protection.
Project No. VP/IDF/2024/5 “Strengthening the response mobility and anti-terrorism capabilities of the State Police by creating a practical training center” is implemented within the 2021-2027 planning period of the Internal Security Fund, whose leading institution in Latvia is the Ministry of the Interior. The project is co-financed by the European Union Internal Security Fund. The project implementation period is from April 1, 2024, to December 31, 2029.