Latvia;s Interior Minister Linda Murniece handed in her resignation to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis on Thursday, dpa reportedhttp://www.dpa.de
The resignation came as a surprise, as Murniece had previously refused to bow to repeated calls for her resignation.
In a brief statement, Murniece said she had tendered her resignation and would finish in her post on February 28 - but gave no precise reason for her decision.
However, she had come under heavy criticism from opposition politicians following an incident on January 25 in which a police officer was killed while attempting to apprehend a gang of armed robbers in the town of Jekabpils.
Following the gun battle it emerged that most of the robbers were in fact themselves police officers, including members of the elite "Alfa Force" anti-riot squad.
As details of the heist emerged, calls for the minister's resignation grew, but she responded by promising to institute swift reforms of the police including the disbanding of Alfa Force.
Murniece's re-appointment as interior minister in November 2010 was in itself controversial as she had failed to be re-elected to parliament in elections the previous month.
Dombrovskis has yet to formally accept Murniece's resignation, saying he wished to speak to her before making a decision. She is currently on leave.
However, President Valdis Zatlers said the resignation provided "a positive example of people assuming political responsibility.