State Police Chief: Retirement Age for Investigators Is Not Too Early

Armands Ruks, head of the Latvian State Police, answered a viewer's question on the TV24 programme “Uz līnijas” in November 2026 about whether police investigators go on a service pension too early. A service pension is a pension that employees of certain institutions can receive after a long period of service, before the general retirement age. Ruks did not fully agree with the claim.

The viewer's question

The question was sent to the programme via WhatsApp. The viewer noted that at the age when some officers can already apply for a service pension, investigators often are only starting to build the experience needed to solve complex and serious crimes.

Ruks's reply

Ruks explained that an investigator retiring at around 50 usually has a very long career behind them. In his estimate, such a person likely has about 30 years of experience, so they cannot be called inexperienced. He said a person is experienced after ten years of service, and experience keeps developing as the career continues.

He reminded viewers that changes to the service pension system are already planned and lawmakers have adopted decisions to raise the age threshold. The new rules will apply to those who enter service from 1 January 2027, and the conditions will also depend on time served and the specific employee group. Ruks stressed that the debate on service pension age is not new and adjustments have already been made.

Different roles, different demands

The police chief emphasised that not all police employees can be assessed by a single principle. An investigator's work differs significantly from the duties of an operational officer or a special unit officer, where physical strain and the nature of the work can be quite different. In Ruks's view, the biggest mistake is to treat all service pension recipients alike.

He concluded that not only age is decisive, but also the specific position, time served and workload.