URBAN SAFETY Andrejs Aronovs Deputy Chief of Riga

URBAN SAFETY Andrejs Aronovs, Deputy Chief of Riga Municipal Police Riga, Latvia, August, 2016

Legal Frame According to Latvian legislation local governments (Municipalities) are responsible for local safety and public order in the relevant area. In addition to the Law On Local Governments, the Civil Defense Act prescribes Municipality’s competency in case of disasters, emergency situations and crisis.

Our Approach What is Urban Safety. . . “Urban Safety – Managerial, Political, Economic and Social Campaign realized by the Municipality in co-operation with Governmental, NGO and international institutions to guarantee physical security and safety for each person, protection of person’s property and belongings, availability, stability and accessibility of necessary urban services, rescue and Help for each person who becomes a victim of disaster or a crash”

Threats Within the frames of Urban Safety Campaign the Municipality of Riga considers several risks: • Criminality (violence, drugs, human trafficking etc. ) • Public order offences (alcohol, juvenile delinquency) • Ecological threats (pollution, floods etc. ) • Climatic threats (frost, heat etc. ) • Technogenic threats (collapse of buildings, water main crash, traffic jams, gas explosion, chemical leaks etc. )

Environment In the field of maintaining urban safety, the Municipality of Riga cooperates with numerous large enterprises on a daily basis: • Freeport of Riga Cargo transshipment capacity - 58, 2 million tons per annum. In 2014 cargo turnover reached 41, 1 million tons. Number of vessels accommodated in 2014 amounted to 3797. Main types of cargo handled at the Freeport of Riga are containers, various metals, timber, coal, mineral fertilizers, chemical cargo and oil products • Rīgas satiksme The public transport of „Rīgas satiksme” (trams, trolleybuses, buses) runs a distance of about 45 million kilometres and carries nearly 150 million passengers a year. „Rīgas satiksme” manages more than 5000 parking lots in Riga and Vecāķi. The company also provides other services: trips in the Retro tram in summer and bicycle parking (there are more than 30 bicycle parks for about 250 bicycles). • Latvijas Finieris Focusing on its core business – development, manufacture and sales of birch plywood, «Latvijas Finieris» is also active in forest management, logging and production of synthetic resin and phenol films. • Latvijas propāna gāze In 1950, the first 50 gas cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas were installed in Riga. In 1952, the construction of a liquefied gas processing plant was launched, becoming one of the first in the USSR. Today, through pipelines liquefied gas reaches approximately 80000 households, and approximately 350000 consumers use gas cylinders. • Latvijas ķīmija The company is engaged in trade in the chemical and rubber-technical products for over 60 years, as the successor state of trade and intermediary firms. It specializes in the sale of liquid technical products and raw materials, acids, alkalis, salts, solvents, degreasers, professional detergents, plastic pellets, plastic, foil, flexible hoses, dry chemical products, adhesives, technical rubber and plastics, tires, varnishes and paints, building materials, etc. and 200 more…

Resources For successful risk management Municipality of Riga has several institutions, each with its own responsibility level operating in the field of Urban Safety being subordinated to Mayor. The relevant supervising institution is Security, Corruption Prevention and Public Order Issues Committee of Riga City Council The main and the biggest institution for public order and law enforcement is Riga Municipal Police which is also responsible for immediate reaction while emergency situation occurs Numerous departments and institutions work in the field of preparedness and prevention on a daily basis

Competence of the RMP • • • Control of activities of hazardous enterprises Consulting chemically and biologically hazardous companies Elimination of disaster and emergency after-effects Supply of housing and first social aid to disaster victims 240 dangerous companies are being monitored, more than 50 enterprises are being provided with information and about 50 persons receive first social aid, including transportation and housing, annually

The City Population on 01. 2016: 698 529 Territory: 304, 00 km 2 The aquatic area: 47, 67 km 2 RMP personnel: 1013 385 RMP officers work «in field» daily 1 RMP officer on 1 814 residents

City Preparedness • In order to accommodate the victims in case of a disaster the municipality of Riga has contracts with 10 hotels to accommodate. In case of big cataclysms, when the victims’ count could be large, victims can be accommodated in the schools of Riga. • The Riga public transport will be used to evacuate the inhabitants of Riga. • In order to maintain urban safety the municipality of Riga has contracts with the State Environmental Service, Social service, Meteorology Centre, animal shelters and other departments. • In case of a building collapse, the municipality of Riga has contracts with 4 companies to provide heavy construction vehicles. • There are 35 Emergency alarm sirens in the city. • In order to be prepared for all types of emergencies, all responsible institutions attend regular training sessions (including real-time simulations) at least once a month.

Systemic approach to the Crisis management Mayor Executive Director of Riga Chairman of the Security, Corruption Prevention and Public Order Issues Committee of Riga City Council Housing and Environment Dept. Of Riga City Council Ambulance State Fire Fighting and Rescue Service Riga Region Dept. of State Police Traffic Dept. Of Riga City Council Riga Municipal Police Welfare Dept. Of Riga City Council • In case of an Emergency the Crisis Management Commission should be convened either by the Chairman of the Commission • either by the responsible service, depending on the threat Several additional members can be invited to assist the Commission, depending on the situation: National Armed Forces State Agency «Latvijas Valsts meži » State corporation «Ceļu pārvalde » State corporation «Latvian Railways » Municipal Agency «Rigas meži » State corporation «Latvenergo » Municipal corporation «Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks » State corporation «Lattelecom » Municipal company «Rīgas ūdens » State corporation «Latvijas gāze » Municipal company «Rīgas siltums » In case of unusual and extraordinary threats, other competent authorities and NGOs can be invited to assist the Commission as advisers

Problems • Growing threats, new challenges • Lack of governmental Emergency management funding to municipalities • Inadequate differences in capabilities of municipalities • Lack of coordination among municipalities across the EU • Different experience and approach

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