ABSTRACT. Recognized criminal offences in the field of electrical power engineering services do harm to energy supply merchants, users of electric energy, and human lives and health, and leave a negative effect on economic development. According to Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13th July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC cancellation requirements, doing historically important electric energy market opening process, it is important to promote more effective measures for the prevention of security threats and criminal offences to energy supply objects. Latvian energy supply security is one of the key areas of energy policies implementation for the next seven years. Led by this aim, the Ministry of Economics has developed energy development guidelines for the period of 2016-2020 (2016), giving suggestions to Latvian government's basic political principles, aims, and action directions in energy for the next five years. The Cabinet of Ministers has confirmed the guidelines. In order to successfully carry out the abovementioned basic principles, it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of threats to energy supply security, and the specifics of counteraction should be examined within the framework of prevention and combating of crimes, in order to contribute to economic development. The present research sought to obtain specialists' opinions about criminal offences, specifics of such offences, and possible solutions. The research was conducted in 2015, when Latvia achieved historically significant electric energy market opening process. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire and statistical data concluded that successful combating of criminal offences in electric energy market primarily depends on police resources, energy supply, merchant's technical solutions, and specialists' cooperation.

In the modern world it is hard to imagine any field that would not depend to some extent on electric energy resources; however, the use of electricity is not always legal and general information shows that criminal offences in electricity networks are widespread in the world. Instability in the electricity market is a serious threat to energy supply security in every country and it influences economical, social and political welfare. In order to determine solutions to prevent the above mentioned cases, it is useful to study the experience of legal systems and case-law close to Latvia in relation to the above mentioned criminal offences, as well as to examine the existing problems and particularities of the situation. Taking into account foreign experience in developing legislative acts on prevention of criminal offences related to unlawful use of electricity and their application in practice, this research provides an insight into national legislation and caselaw in this field in several countries -the Russian Federation, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Poland, and the Republic of Lithuania. Analysing the results of the research and the real situation, conclusions on the peculiarities of electricity thefts, foreign practice and possible solutions to improve the situation in Latvia can be drawn.