After dog attack incident in Carnikava, municipality plans safety measures

Following an incident in Carnikava in which a group of children was harmed, the municipality is coordinating with educational institutions and other responsible agencies on several steps to strengthen child safety.

Training and route changes

Teachers and teaching assistants at educational institutions will take part in special training led by a cynologist, learning how to act when an unsupervised or potentially aggressive dog appears near children, and how to respond safely to a threat. By September 10, educational institutions, working with the municipality, will review children's walking routes, aiming to avoid isolated or less visible areas in favor of routes through the city center, where there is more foot traffic and help can arrive faster.

Possible self-defense tools

The municipality will also assess whether to provide educational staff with suitable self-defense tools. Any decision on their necessity, type and conditions of use will be made only after consultation with competent authorities and will be discussed with parents at meetings held at all educational institutions.

Additional safety steps

Once the new routes are approved, police will step up patrols there, paying particular attention to times when groups of children are out walking. The group of children affected by the incident is receiving professional support, and a crisis management team from the Children's Crisis Center will also join the effort; the group will continue to be monitored going forward.

Tougher stance on dog owners

The municipality will again urge dog owners to responsibly follow animal-keeping requirements, stressing that owners must prevent their animals from roaming unsupervised in public spaces and endangering others. Authorities also plan a firmer response to repeat violations and intend to discuss revising municipal binding regulations to introduce stricter liability and harsher penalties for owners who repeatedly let their dogs roam free.