The homicide squad is the police elite and has the highest percentage of solved cases. However, these are cases of obvious murders, like when officers find a stabbed man. The problem in this case rests with its evaluation. The State Attorney's Office received a report from the hospital Oct. 16, which, however, did not say that doctors suspected Zelenka of a number of murders.

The message was unclear, and police did not consider it highly important when it was forwarded to them Oct. 23. Police lacked the vital indication of a suspicious death. That's what triggered a series of police errors. Feeling this was no murder case, the investigator did nothing. It's sad, but true: Crime investigators don't take on a case until they feel it is a serious one. Another error was that the responsible officer was ill for three weeks without handing over the case to someone else. East Bohemia Police head Petr Přibyl claimed that the investigation continued independently, but failed to specify how. Typical mess. The given number of victims proves that something went wrong: Police spoke of seven, while there were in fact eight. What the heck, a body more or less. It took the police two days to correct the figure.

The ill officer returned to work Nov. 27 and at last got in touch with the prosecutor that filed the report and hospital director. After an entire month! Then he made another mistake: He didn't talk to the head of the anesthesia intensive care unit, Pavel Longin, who has been searching for the killer since May and, at long last, found him. It is a scandal that Longin had to go to the police himself to offer his testimony Nov. 30. Zelenka was arrested the next day and fortunately confessed to his crimes, regardless of which it will be difficult to prove the murders.

Police failed by showing a lack of interest in the case, offering an embarrasing explanation: The officer was ill. This officer failed most seriously because he ignored the information he got. The State Attorney's Office underestimated the case as well. The homicide squad has a real problem. Unfortunately, murders committed by Zelenka will be filed as solved and therefore a police success, Fendrych writes.

"We will just play with them and then tell them to piss off," Mirek Topolánek's adviser Marek Dalík recently said about the Social Democrats (ČSSD). "Dalík's opinions are fully in agreement with the official Civic Democratic Party [ODS] policy," Topolánek commented later, Petr Kamberský writes in Hospodářské noviny Dec. 8.

Dalík also predicted that there would be "other Pohankas" (a reference to ČSSD defector Michal Pohanka). Yesterday's departure of Deputy Miloš Melčák from the ČSSD's voting ranks seems to be in accordance with Dalík's words.

Would the ODS like to rule together with defectors? It can't be ruled out, but there are many reasons for doubts. The three-party coalition would be dependent on unpredictable deputies, not to mention a considerable loss of credibility.

It's feasible to govern with Melčák, but you can't really introduce any reforms with him. How could a gray and uncommunicative Melčák become one of those who decide about the government?

What Paroubek fears the most is early elections, Kamberský writes.