Aim of the Project: to enhance the capacities and cross-border cooperation of the Lithuanian and Norwegian police through sharing best practices in the fight against crime, and to strengthen the capabilities of the Lithuanian police in the prevention, disclosure and investigation of criminal offences by introducing advanced technologies and organizing training courses.

Project Promoter: Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania (Police Department).

Tasks of the Project:

• Strengthening the skills of officers of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau in the development of national and international cooperation, through the following:

• organizing meetings in the framework of cases of Lithuanian police officers and ones of foreign states with regard to coordination of the tactics and actions in specific investigations;

•organizing study visits for officers of Lithuanian criminal police units to police units of foreign states where the officers would get conversant with best practices in the field of fighting organized crime;

•purchasing advanced tools meant for addressing organized and serious crime, and effective collection, storage and analysis of information significant for investigations;

•organizing multi-level training courses in Lithuania aimed to analyse best national and foreign practices in the application of innovative investigative methods into the phenomenon of organised crime, and state-of-the art technical intervention solutions.

• Strengthening the capacities of the Lithuanian Police Forensic Science Centre:

• purchasing modern laboratory equipment intended for conducting forensic analyses (related to DNA, fingerprints, IT, narcotic substances, ballistics and explosives);

• training professional skills of police professionals conducting forensic analyses through participation in courses, practical and theoretical workshops or annual symposia organized in foreign states, sharing experience with Norwegian officers during visits on the takeover of best practice, and arranging special training courses.

• Strengthening capacities of the police of the Kingdom of Norway in the criminal investigations related to nationals of the Republic of Lithuania:

• economic stimulus in investigations;

• handling of investigations and preparation of intelligence reports.

Total eligible costs of the Project: EUR 4 306 578,16 (EUR 3 660 591,44 from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and EUR 645 986,72 from the co-financing).

Project implementation period: 10 June 2020 – 30 April 2024.

Target groups of the Project – employees of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, Lithuanian Police Forensic Science Centre and officers of KRIPOS. Indirect beneficiaries – Lithuanian and Norwegian societies.

Officers of KRIPOS will participate in training sessions and in a part of meetings, briefings in the framework of cases dedicated for the organisation of investigations of criminal offences.

Employees of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, the Lithuanian Police Forensic Science Centre and ones of criminal police units of county police headquarters of Lithuania will participate in training courses organised in the framework of the Project and will use technological tools and equipment acquired in the course of the implementation of the Project.