Estonia sends new border guard rotation to Latvia
A new unit of Estonian border guards was sent to Latvia at the start of the week to combat illegal migration and protect the European Union's external border.
The new ESTPOL11 rotation replaced the team who have been working in Latvia for the last two weeks.
The 11-member team will take part in border patrols in areas where migration pressure is highest. Estonia has sent officers, service dogs, drones and other specialised equipment.
Last month, Veiko Kommusaar, deputy director general of the Police and Border Guard Board, said Estonia will continue supporting Latvia because migration pressure in the region remains high.
He said that Latvian authorities have prevented more than 9,000 illegal border-crossing attempts this year.
"Our aim is to prevent a temporary migration route from developing into a permanent one. To this end, we are taking part in border patrols on the Latvian-Belarusian border together with our Latvian colleagues to prevent illegal border crossings, while at the same time working to ensure that people who have entered Estonia illegally are returned and that people smugglers and their accomplices are caught," Kommusaar said.
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Editor: Helen Wright
