On 29-30 September 2020 in Liepāja VDD organized an exercise for operational services about the required activities in case of a terrorist attack.
On 29 September VDD counterterrorism experts held a seminar about the measures that have to be taken in case of a terrorist attack for the representatives of the operational services of Kurzeme region. Whereas on 30 September the representatives of operational services had the chance to use the theoretical knowledge in practice during a table top exercise in which the participants had to plan the coordination and position of resources on the site of the attack. The representatives of the operational services practiced mutual cooperation and operation management by trying to adjust their activities as much as possible to the real life situation in case of a terrorist attack. The table top exercise scenario foresaw that a terrorist attack has taken place during a mass gathering by using combined attack methods – cold weapons and vehicle ramming.
The goal of this exercise is to create a common understanding about the necessary actions after a terrorist attack and to improve the ability to act coordinately on the site of the attack when eliminating consequences. For this reason in 2018 VDD developed guidelines for the responsible services in case of a terrorist attack. During the exercise on 30 September the representatives of operational services tested and improved their readiness to act according to these guidelines.
It was the first time when such table top exercise was organized in one of Latvia’s regions. VDD also further on is planning to pay particular attention to the development of the reaction and cooperation capabilities of operational services particularly in the regions of Latvia.
The representatives of State Emergency Medical Service, State Police, State Fire and Rescue Service, Prosecutor General’s Office, Liepāja Municipal Police, State Border Guard, National Armed Forces and Liepāja City Council took part in the exercise led by VDD.
The terrorism threat level in Latvia is low at the moment and the information available to VDD does not indicate that it could increase in the nearest future. Nevertheless, in several European countries the terrorism threat level remains elevated. Mass gathering places is still one of the main targets of terrorist attacks.
Information prepared by VDD
Illustrative photo, VDD
