The Prague Post Online: Opinion: Police reform: More than quotas and money

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Police reform: More than quotas and money

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March 12th, 2008 issue

If it’s spring, it must be time to hire more police.

Last year it was the Municipal Police recruiting campaign that featured movie-style posters on Prague streets. The Czech Police force, which is still 5,041 officers short according to the Interior Ministry, started its own campaign this February. In an attempt to fill empty slots as quickly as possible, ministry officials are shortening the training time for the new police recruits from one year to possibly as little as five months by summer.

Interior Minister Ivan Langer is also opening new police stations nationwide as part of a larger attempt to expand and upgrade law enforcement. We’re glad to see it, and generally think he’s moving in the right direction.

But governments often favor quick fixes over long-term solutions. And cutting the training for officers joining a force already burdened with a reputation for corruption and unprofessional behavior is a classic example of such short-sighted behavior.

There’s no question about the need for more and better police protection on the streets, particularly in the wake of a dramatic daylight shooting this past weekend on swanky Pařížská street in Old Town. And, as the tourist hordes begin to swell, so too will the underground army of pickpockets who work the trams and subways and upscale shopping areas of the city, ruining the vacations of visitors who are even more dismayed when they go to the nearest police station, thinking they’ll get some action or at least sympathy.

It’s a cliché that you can never find a cop when you need one, and obviously even the best police can’t anticipate every street disturbance in the city. But it’s telling to watch the police in action on Wenceslas Square during the day, where they spend their time almost exclusively pulling over cars and finding some reason to fine the driver. After dark, when the square is taken over by all sorts of shady characters, it’s rare to see a police patrol of any kind.

So along with all the other changes, it’s time for a re-ordering of priorities. The debates about getting police out of the security business in football stadiums, and not spending their time investigating minor traffic accidents, are a good start. Another positive step would be to focus on the hazards faced by tourists who, like it or not, are the economic lifeblood of the city. The gangs of pickpockets who work the trams and subways, for example, are well-known even to casual riders. Would it be so hard to have plainclothes policemen working those cars?

To be fair, every city in the world, particularly tourist destinations, has the same problems. And police forces in post-communist countries face their own distinct set of challenges.

But we encourage Langer and other government officials to move ahead with reform, and take a longer view. Modernizing the police force takes time and education.

And it’s not just about money. It’s a mindset.

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