Vandalism and infrastructure problems across Latvia: from wrecked toilets to a closed police building in Jēkabpils

Residents in several Latvian towns and municipalities have grown frustrated in recent weeks over vandalism and poor infrastructure. Public toilets have been damaged in Valmiera and Ventspils, a newly planted tree was broken in Mārupe, locals in Bauska municipality blame heavy machinery from the Rail Baltica railway project for wrecked roads, and in Jēkabpils a police building was closed for safety reasons.

Roads in Bauska municipality

Rail Baltica is a project to build a European-standard railway line. Mārtiņš Cimermanis, a Bauska municipal councillor from the Union of Greens and Farmers who also heads the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre, posted video and photos on social media showing roads around Iecava. He told the newspaper Bauskas Dzīve that a state road recently levelled by a grader was again damaged by trucks weighing about forty tonnes travelling from a quarry. According to him, residents are ready to block roads, and he urged a review of how road maintenance is monitored.

Mārupe, Valmiera and Ventspils

A Mārupe resident reported on social media that a recently planted sapling on Dzelzceļa Street had been snapped. The Valmiera municipal police say public toilets are increasingly found with toilet paper scattered, soap squeezed out and sand poured into sinks. They urge parents to talk with their children about behaviour in public places and ask residents to report incidents by phone on 8484.

In Ventspils, a public toilet at 5 Sporta Street, opened only on 5 July this year, was vandalised. It is currently closed, and the city's Communal Board is reviewing CCTV footage to identify those responsible. Since 1 May 2025, all nine of the city's public automatic toilets have been free to use.

Police building in Jēkabpils

In Jēkabpils, the State Police Eastern Zemgale precinct building at 122 Brīvības Street was closed after plaster and suspended ceiling structures fell in a second-floor office. No one was hurt. The building authority banned use of the whole building after finding cracks in ceilings and walls. No major renovation has been carried out: after a 2023 inspection, the Interior Ministry rejected the large scope of works because a Disaster Management Centre is planned for the town. About 40 employees have been relocated to other premises, some sharing a single office and others commuting to Alūksne. The municipality has offered the police some of its properties.