The Public Security Service or VST ( lt, Viešojo saugumo tarnyba) is a Lithuanian law enforcement agency under the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

. It is primarily involved in restoring the public order and serving as the main

riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organi ...

force equipped for

riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irra ...

. VST is a partner of the

European Gendarmerie Force The European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) is an operational, pre-organised, and rapidly deployable intervention force, exclusively comprising elements of several European police forces with military status of the Parties in order to perform all ...

History

The origins of the special purpose law enforcement can be traced back to the armed formations of the

Lithuanian Tribunal The Lithuanian Tribunal (; pl, Trybunał Główny Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego) was the highest appellate court for the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was established by King Stephen Báthory in 1581 as the counterpart to th ...

in the 17th century, specifically the

Infantry Company of the Lithuanian Tribunal The Infantry Company of the Lithuanian Tribunal () also known as the Hungarian Banner of the Lithuanian Tribunal (; ) was an infantry company of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania charged with protecting the Lithuanian Tribunal, as well as guarding de ...

. The modern precursor of the institution was the ''Brigade of the Local Army'' ( lt, links=no, Vietinės kariuomenės brigada) established in February 1920, but disbanded a few years later. The current institution was formed on 18 October 1991 and was known as the ''Internal Service Unit'' ( lt, links=no, Vidaus tarnyba) until 2002 when, following its reorganization, it was renamed to the Public Security Service. The institution is regulated by the ''Law on the Public Security Service 2006''.

Equipment

Guardian APC for Lithuanian Public Safety Service

Some of the VST equipment includes: *

Volkswagen Crafter The Volkswagen Crafter, introduced in 2006, is the largest three- to five-ton van produced and sold by the German automaker Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The Crafter officially replaced the Volkswagen Transporter LT that was launched in 1975 ...

vans,

Iveco EuroCargo The Iveco EuroCargo is a range of medium-duty trucks produced by the Italian manufacturer Iveco since 1991. The EuroCargo replaced the Zeta model produced in the 1970s. First generation (1991-2002) The first generation was designed by Giorget ...

and

Mercedes-Benz Atego The Mercedes-Benz Atego is a range of general-purpose rigid trucks introduced by Daimler Truck in 1998. A new model was introduced in 2004, followed by a facelift in 2010 and another new model in 2013. The latest version is available in gross veh ...

transporters (used for

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be use ...

and

prisoner transport Prisoner transport is the transportation of prisoners by law enforcement agencies or contractors. To extradite a suspected or convicted criminal from one jurisdiction to another, a rendition aircraft may be used, although the high cost invo ...

) * Ford F550 armored cars and

IAG Guardian The IAG Guardian is a United Arab Emirates-made armored vehicle. It was developed by the International Armored Group company. It's available in 4x4 and 6x6 configurations. This vehicle has been used in the Middle East conflict and has been marked ...

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Lithuania topics Government agencies established in 1997 Specialist law enforcement agencies of Lithuania Law enforcement in Lithuania

History

Equipment

See also

References

External links