The Prague Post Online: News: Schengen data share sees results

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July 5th, 2008

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Schengen data share sees results

As rates of arrest increase, some complications still to be resolved in info system

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 16th, 2008 issue

With the 100-day mark since the Czech Republic’s accession to the Schengen zone recently passed, authorities are pleased by the success to date of the Schengen Information System (SIS).

The system is a secure governmental database used by participating countries to maintain and distribute information related to border security and law enforcement. SIS collects data in areas such as wanted suspects, criminals extradition requests, stolen property, bank notes, personal identification documents and firearms ownership.

The Dec. 21 implementation of SIS in the Czech Republic has already produced tangible results. Czech police have detained more than 80 people wanted by neighboring countries with the help of the new system, while more than 100 people wanted by Czech courts have been returned from abroad. Through SIS, other countries have found 35 cars and Czech police have located almost 80 cars stolen abroad.

The database has also contributed to the resolution of some well-known cases. “I’d like to mention the case of Barbora Škrlová, who was returned to the Czech Republic, and the four Danish bank robbers caught in Prague three weeks ago,” said police spokeswoman Pavla Kopecká. “Without SIS, the law would not have been enforced in these cases.”

Škrlová is a 33-year-old woman at the center of a bizarre child-abuse case, who had been discovered in Norway posing as a 13-year-old boy.

The SIS concept has been a long time in the making. Since the first Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985, it has been understood that, in order for border checks to be relaxed without raising safety concerns, certain compensatory measures would have to be adopted. It took 10 years to draft, develop and implement the Schengen Information System (SIS) that now forms the backbone for police cooperation among member nations.

However, the implementation of SIS has not been without growing pains — some of which were unforeseen complications that have affected average citizens. When the Interior Ministry tried to automate checks in the registry of stolen vehicles at the end of March, for instance, it had to shut the new system down within three days and return to processing requests by hand. As a result, the registration of vehicles by new owners, which usually takes around 15 minutes, lasted up to an hour and a half. Interior Minister Ivan Langer apologized to the public in a press statement, saying, “We wanted to simplify things but to our own disappointment we failed. We are currently investigating the cause of the failure and will take appropriate steps once we know more.”

The automatic system should be online by mid-April according to ministry spokeswoman Jana Malíková. She also promised that heads will roll once it is clear who is responsible for the chaos. “We tested the new system over the weekend and it worked fine,” she said. “However, under the load, the response time was longer than expected. The exact cause of the failure is being investigated. After we find out more, we will draw very specific consequences.”

Another post-Schengen development that’s drawn high-profile concern is the stricter police control at the German and Austrian border, which replaced the official border controls that ended when the Czech Republic entered the Schengen zone.

“I think these controls victimize our citizens and are in direct breach of the Schengen Agreement,” said Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek while inaugurating the Schengen terminal at Prague International Airport March 29. “I expect the Bavarian and Upper Austrian governments to realize that this type of control is useless.”

The controls are, however, based on agreements signed by the Czech government to prevent a rise of cross-border crimes, and the German Embassy dismissed Topolánek’s criticism. According to Czech police statistics, the controls have so far been successful as cross-border crime rates have not gone up in the Czech Republic or in neighboring countries since December.

“There has been no dramatic increase in the crime rate even though it is much easier for potential thieves to commit crimes in neighboring countries,” said police spokeswoman Eva Prachařová. Although, she added, “some stolen property does end up abroad. In March, a tractor stolen here was found in Poland.”

The largest problem facing police in north Moravia and Silesia is the growing number of Polish rowdies who come in greater numbers than before to Czech sporting events, making fights and other disturbances more common.

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at news@praguepost.com

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