The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania is charged with the oversight of public safety, border protection, migration control, emergency response, public administration and governance, the civil service, and local and regional development initiatives. Its operations are authorized by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, decrees issued by the President and Prime Minister, and laws passed by the Seimas (Parliament). The current head of the ministry is Agnė Bilotaitė.

History

The Ministry of the Interior was first was established on 11 November 1918. Its first minister was Vladas Stašinskas. During the interwar period, many of the functions of the present day Ministry of Social Security and Labour as well as Ministry of Health were under the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Interior in its current form was restored on 17 March 1990.

Structure

Institutions under the ministry

Lyceum

The General Povilas Plechavicius Cadet Lyceum is a specialized state school based in Kaunas responsible for the training of young students. It serves under the Ministry of the Interior and Kaunas City Municipality. The school started its activities as a Young Warrior club in 1994, becoming the “Lūšiukai” school in 2005. In September 2012, the school was reformed from a non-formal educational institution. In 2013, the school was named General Povilas Plechavičius Cadet School and in 2015 it was named General Povilas Plechavičius Cadet Lyceum. Students from all cities and districts in Lithuania study at the lyceum. Pupils studying in lyceum generally go into higher education (General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania and Mykolas Riomeris University), as well as professional military service. In March 2018, the director of the lyceum was dismissed from office for a period of 3 months due to suspicions of abuse of office. In January 2021, Lithuanian military cadets were given a virtual tour of the American 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment.

Wind Orchestra

Representative Wind Orchestra of the Ministry of the Interior is the only police band in Lithuania. It was first founded in 1935 as the wind orchestra of the Kaunas Police Department, led by Julius Radžiūnas as the first conductor. When Lithuania regained its independence, it was restored and resumed its activities under the direction of Algirdas Kazimieras Radzevičius. In 2008, the band was granted the status of a concert institution.

Ministers