Issues of the Lithuanian system of Statutory Public Servants - police officers and their professional qualifications

Abstract

The article presents a review of national legal sources related to the statutory public service and consists of six parts. The first part of the article reviews legal regulation of the public service system in Lithuania. Types of Public Servants are presented in the second part of the article. The legal acts that determine different Categories and Positions of Statutory Public Servants are revealed in the third part. The fourth part analyses the requirements for the candidates for Statutory Public Servants – pretrial investigators. The competence and functions of Statutory Public Servants – pretrial investigators are discussed in the fifth part of the article. One type of Statutory Public Servants – police officers have specific duties, implementation of which requires a specific knowledge, competence and education. Pre-trial investigation should be made by a police officer with good legal knowledge; however there is no requirement in the laws for the candidate to have a legal education. The need to determine the qualification requirements for persons wishing to take up the position of a pre-trial investigation officer was observed. The sixth part of the article presents the Lithuanian system of the qualification requirements of the higher legal education. The laws ensure the quality and content of studies in the institutions of higher education and the possibility for a student to develop full skills of law interpretation and application, practical and legal reasoning. Taking into account the functions performed by pre-trial investigators, the qualification requirements of the higher legal education shall apply to the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.