The Public Order and Internal Security Situation in the Regions of the Czech Republic in 2000

Contents  

Security Situation in Central Bohemia in 2000

Area (km2): 11 013
Population: 1 111 354
Unemployment: 6,3
Density: 101

Development of Crime in 1998 - 2000

Type of crime 1998 1999 2000
  Crime Clr.up Det rate % Crime Clr.up Det rate % Crime Clr.up Det rate %
Total crime 52 440 23 857 45,5 52 191 24 789 47,5 45 463 19 477 42,8
Development changes 5278 +3372 2,1 -249 +932 +2,0 -6 728 -5312 -+4,7
Violent crimes 2 402 2 008 83,6 2 468 2 056 83,3 1 981 1 579 79,7
Murders 45 37 82,2 34 27 79,4 67 50 74,6
Robberies 411 175 42,6 429 170 39,6 419 150 35,8
Moral crimes 402 376 93,5 371 351 94,6 206 183 88,8
Rape 53 41 77,4 83 74 89,2 59 49 83,1
Crimes against property 36 990 9 258 25,0 36 087 9 572 26,5 32 790 7 551 23,0
Total burglaries 16 964 3 543 20,9 15 597 3 320 21,3 13 213 2 580 19,5
Burglaries of flats 1 433 313 21,8 1 286 362 28,1 774 192 24,8
Burglaries of weekend houses 5 011 1 421 28,4 4 423 1 160 26,2 3 525 956 27,1
Total common thefts 16 666 3 636 21,8 16 821 3 998 23,8 16 222 3 246 20,0
Pickpockets 260 67 25,8 252 18 7,1 423 37 8,7
Car thefts 2 606 422 16,2 2 753 504 18,3 2 400 347 14,5
Thefts of cars 5 295 626 11,8 5 032 563 11,2 5 254 458 8,7
Bicycle thefts 1 606 263 16,4 1 506 249 16,5 1 358 307 22,6
Economic crimes 5 477 5 341 97,5 7 068 6 846 96,9 4 894 4 805 98,2
Embezzlement 1 174 1 174 100,0 978 978 100,0 676 674 99,7
Fraud 2 572 2 571 100,0 2 819 2 812 99,8 2 475 2 470 99,8

Central Bohemia in 2000

Crimes

Total crimes45,463 (-12.9 %)
Crime per 10,000 inhabitants 409
Number of crimes solved19,477 (-21.4 %)
detection rate % 42.8 (-4.7 %)

Crime in districts

The highest number of crimes Mladá Boleslav 5.794
Kladno 5.541
The highest number of crimes / 10,000 inhabitants Prague-východ 555
Mladá Boleslav 516
The lowest number of crimes Rakovník 1.827
Kutná Hora 2.551
The highest increase in crimes (%) Beroun +4.1 %
The highest decrease in crimes (%) Mělník -28.4 %
Praha-západ -18.5 %

The Share of Districts in Total Crimes in Central Bohemia in 2000

In 2000, a total of 45,463 crimes were documented, which represents a decrease in total crimes of 12.9% compared with 1999, in Central Bohemia. 19,477 crimes were solved i.e. the number of crime fell down by 21.4 % compared with 1999. The highest numbers of crimes within Central Bohemia were recorded in the districts of Mladá Boleslav, Kladno and Prague-východ, which is reflected in the lower detection rate.

Crime Factors in the Region

The security situation in Central Bohemia is affected by several permanent factors, which relate mainly to its position within the Czech Republic:

Criminal Offenders

Foreigners are mainly involved in crimes against property, economic crimes and violent crimes committed by inhabitants from the Slovak Republic and the former USSR. They are mainly foreigners who permanently reside or who have a long-term stay visa for more than 90 days.

Juvenile Crime

Juvenile delinquency is characterised by crimes against property – burglaries of various facilities, theft of cars and articles from cars, which for young people is the only source of financial funds to buy narcotics.

Migration

The Police carried out various actions in the area of illegal migration, e.g. inspection of hostels for foreigners; the knowledge gathered through the Labour Office is operatively applied by the Criminal Police in cases of the illegal employment of foreigners. The transit route for refugees heading for Germany passes through the territory of Central Bohemia, which is well organised and has a strong background. In 2000 there were several cases that in the case of any activity of the Police, migrants were left in any place of the territory of this region and were properly instructed on how to proceed in the case of conflict with the Police with the aim of receiving refugee status. Withheld foreigners are then placed in refugee camps where they again try to organise a crossing of the national border into Germany.

Drugs

There is a low age level of addicts in Central Bohemia, including so-called ”first-consumers” who start directly with hard drugs. The highest number of crimes related to the drug issue was recorded in the district of Kladno where the Police investigated a case of the wide production and distribution of pervitin. Other ascertained cases were in the districts of Benešov, Beroun, Prague-západ and Nymburk. In the districts of Kolín, Prague-západ and Mladá Boleslav the distribution of heroin was discovered which had been brought there from Prague. In the integrated secondary school of the district of Kolín there were three cases of the distribution of marihuana, heroin and pervitin. The sale of so-called ”discotheque drugs LSD and ecstasy” was ascertained in the districts of Kolín, Kutná Hora and Mladá Boleslav. The inhalation of volatile substances was recorded in the districts of Prague-východ, Rakovník, Benešov and Příbram.

In Central Bohemia a case of financial manipulation was ascertained in relation to drugs where an employee of the District Office in Rakovník misused financial funds for the purchase of components for the production of narcotics.

Crime of an Extremist Nature

There was an increase in crime of an extremist nature in the territory of Central Bohemia compared to 1999. Several protest events initiated by left-wing extremists against Fascism, racism and non-tolerance were organised in this region in the districts of Mladá Boleslav, Kladno, Mělník, Prague-západ, Prague-východ, Nymburk. Promoters of right-wing extremists want to join together as groups or civil associations, such as the National Alliance, Defence of the Nation and want to be registered as political parties. In the Central Bohemian Region events of extremist movements were most frequently organised in the district of Rakovník.

Crimes Against Property

The detection rate of crimes against property reached only 23 %. This is mainly influenced by the relatively high number of burglaries, even though was a decrease of 14.6 %. A reduction of 4% was reported for common thefts.

The highest number of house burglaries occurred in the districts of Příbram, Kladno and Mladá Boleslav. Recently, there has been an increase of burglaries from family houses under construction and reconstructed family houses mainly in the districts of Prague-západ and Prague-východ. The criminal offenders are mainly interested in building, water-insulation and electric-insulation materials, regulation equipment for heating, bathroom equipment, etc. The highest number of burglaries from recreational facilities was recorded in the districts of Prague-východ, Prague-západ and Benešov. In 2000, 19 series of burglaries from recreational facilities were solved in the Central Bohemian region. These cases were recorded mainly in the districts of Prague-západ, Prague-východ and Beroun.

In 2000, a total of 114 cases of burglaries from cultural and religious facilities were recorded. The total damage was CZK 22,333,000. The highest number of cases was reported in the districts of Mělník, Mladá Boleslav and Nymburk. The highest damage of CZK 4,060,000 was caused by criminals in the district of Kolín by a burglary of the church in the village of Rásochy (one altar was found with a dealer in the district of Mělník).

A special working team, the PERUC, was established to investigate these crimes in collaboration with the Central Bohemia region which has been investigating series crimes from 1998 up to the beginning of 2000. 156 burglared religious facilities were selected, during the investigation 21 persons were charged, and art items were collected with a value of CZK 20 million. 124 crimes were solved – 62 in the territory of Central Bohemia and the other cases in five other regions, including Prague.

In the Central Bohemian region 2,194 vehicles were stolen and the detection rate was only 14.4%. The highest number of cases was recorded in the districts of Mladá Boleslav, Prague-východ, Praha-západ, Kolín and Kladno. The total damage was CZK 440 million. During the same period there were 4,786 thefts from cars with a detection rate of 8.5 %.

A new trend in this area is theft of building machines the value of which varies from CZK 1 million to CZK 4 million. The advantage for criminals is the absence of a registration number and the fact that the machines are not registered. The identity of the machine (serial number of the machine, engine and gears) can only be found from the databases of exclusive representatives for the Czech Republic.

Economic Crimes

In 2000, 4,607 economic crimes were solved which represents a detection rate of 97.96 %. It is possible to specify the following types on the basis of an analysis of economic crimes:

The theft of trucks containing interesting goods is another form of economic crime. Criminals are equipped with false documents and state that the goods were purchased in good faith and even after it has been proved that the goods were acquired by criminal activity, the goods remain in their competence. The Police may not confiscate goods or suspend their distribution.

Violent Crimes

In 2000 there was an increase in violent crimes, in particular murders; there were 67 murders. This represents an increase of 97%, despite this fact 50 of them were solved which is 74.6 %. Ascertaining the identity of victims is a great problem, in most cases the victims are foreigners and the scene of the crime is not the same as the place where the body is found, etc.

When investigating fires and explosions the victims are not interested in collaborating with the Police. In cases of fire the Police have recorded efforts to gain unauthorised insurance payments. There are cases where the fire is established intentionally to settle accounts between entrepreneurs. Aggrieved parties often keep silent about their management problems; they try to liquidate non-tradable goods, etc.

In comparison with 1999, there was an increase in cases of the installation of timed explosive devices (booby traps), the motive of these crimes is to settle accounts between entrepreneurs. A very serious case of this type occurred in the territory of Central Bohemia where a times explosive devices was installed on the railway between the railway stations Radotín - Černošice, district of Prague - západ; the object of this action of an unknown criminal offender was to threaten personal railway transport. This case is similar to the detonation of an explosive device in the cadastre territory of Cítov a Vraňany, district of Mělník in 1999.

Moral Crimes

Moral crimes decreased considerably by 47.3 % compared to 1999. In the cases of sexual assault some age groups of victims are more vulnerable, including boys between 12-15. In approximately 2/3 of cases these crimes are committed by strangers (i.e. not a member of a family). The highest number of rapes occurred in the districts of Kladno, Mělník and Příbram. Street prostitution is spreading at the highway car park at Rudná u Prahy.

Road Safety

In 2000, there was a slight decrease in the number of traffic accidents. This resulted in a decrease in the number of fatal accidents or accidents with serious injuries but, on the contrary, there was an increase in the number of persons suffering minor injuries and material damage. On the highways of Central Bohemia 12 persons (-1) were killed, on other roads outside of towns there was a decrease in the number of traffic accidents (-761), as well as a decrease in the number of persons killed (-10) and seriously injured persons (-38). On the contrary, a negative development of traffic accidents in towns was recorded where there were 12,993 traffic accidents (+236). In these accidents 49 were killed (+1) and the number of injured persons also increased. 297 (+3) people were seriously injured and 1,345 (+97) persons suffered minor injured.

The main reason for traffic accidents is the manner of driving which was recorded in 14,798 cases (-408), after this it is the speed of driving; 3,026 cases (-228). Not giving priority when driving caused 2,447 traffic accidents (-36) and overtaking caused 599 traffic accidents (-29). In 1,058 cases (+59) the reason was the use of alcohol before driving.

Traffic accidents and their consequences

Year

Traffic accidents

No. of persons killed

Serious injury

Minor injury

Damage

2000

25,387

220

889

3,426

1,049,945,200

1999

26,446

228

933

3,369

943,289,400

1998

24,416

178

880

3,524

891,763,400

1997

22,246

219

1,027

3,674

745,727,100

In the interest of the security and protection of participants in road traffic and influencing the traffic accident rate, special checks were carried out directed at keeping to maximum speeds when driving in towns. During these checks 47,880 cases of exceeding the maximum speed limit were ascertained and 18 driving licences were withdrawn because of an immediate threat to traffic safety.

Central Bohemia - Development of Crime in 1999 and 2000 and the Year-to-Year Change in Development

  1999 2000 Change in v % +/-
Total crime ascertained 52 191 45 463 -12,9
Crimes cleared up 24 789 19 477 -21,4
which accounts for % 47,5 42,8 -
Total damage ascertained (in thousand CZK) 3 307 891 3 202 128 -3,2
Secured damage (in thousand CZK) 20 217 17 930 -11,3
Obecná kriminalita 41 671 37 379 -10,3
Crimes cleared up 14 658 11 637 -20,6
which accounts for % 35,2 31,1 -
Violent crime 2 468 1 981 -19,7
Crimes cleared up 2 056 1 579 -23,2
which accounts for % 83,3 79,7 -
Of which: Murders 34 67 97,1
Robberies 429 419 -2,3
Robberies from financial institutions* - 5  
Intentional injury to health 572 554 -3,1
Dangerous threats 231 200 -13,4
Extortion 527 233 -55,8
Moral crime 371 206 -44,5
Crimes cleared up 351 183 -47,9
which accounts for % 94,6 88,8 -
Of which: Rape 83 59 -28,9
Pandering 68 4 -94,1
Crimes against property 36 087 32 790 -9,1
Crimes cleared up 9 572 7 551 -21,1
which accounts for % 26,5 23,0 -
Burglaries 15 597 13 213 -15,3
Crimes cleared up 3 320 2 580 -22,3
which accounts for % 21,3 19,5 -
Of which: to shops 767 586 -23,6
to flats }in blocks of flats* 1 286 774 -39,8
to weekend houses 4 423 3 525 -20,3
to familz houses* - 631  
Common thefts 16 821 16 222 -3,6
Crimes cleared up 3 998 3 246 -18,8
Which accounts for % 23,8 20,0 -
Of which: motor vehicles 2 753 2 400 -12,8
items from cars 5 032 5 254 4,4
bicycles 1 506 1 358 -9,8
pickpockets 252 423 67,9
Frauds 1 067 789 -26,1
Other crime      
Rowdyism 389 420 8,0
Unauthorised production and possession of psychotropic substances and poisons 861 603 -30,0
Spreading of drug addiction 119 50 -58,0
Frustrating executions of an official decision 831 749 -9,9
Economic crime 7 068 4 894 -30,8
Crimes cleared up 6 846 4 805 -29,8
which accounts for % 96,9 98,2 -
Of which: Curtailment of taxes 337 238 -29,4
Frauds 2 819 2 475 -12,2
Embezzlement 978 676 -30,9
Infrigements of rights related to trademarks 267 131 -50,9
Infrigement of copyright 644 199 -69,1

* Monitored as independent categories up to 2000.

Central Bohemia - Development of Crime in Districts in 1999 - 2000

  1999 2000 Change
District Ascert. Clear.up Crime per 10 thous. Det.rate in % Ascert. Clear.up Crime per 10 thous. Det.rate in % Ascert. in % Clear. in % Det.rate in %
Benešov 2 877 1 521 324 52,9 2 612 1 273 295 48,7 -9,2 -16,3 -4,1
Beroun 3 623 1 753 481 48,4 3 773 1 783 499 47,3 4,1 1,7 -1,1
Kladno 6 186 2 541 411 41,1 5 541 1 964 368 35,4 -10,4 -22,7 -5,6
Kolín 3 588 1 865 376 52,0 3 208 1 524 336 47,5 -10,6 -18,3 -4,5
Kutná Hora 2 961 1 769 380 59,7 2 551 1 461 328 57,3 -13,8 -17,4 -2,5
Mělník 5 912 3 010 623 50,9 4 233 2 015 446 47,6 -28,4 -33,1 -3,3
Ml.Boleslav 6 688 2803 596 41,9 5 794 2089 516 36,1 -13,4 -25,5 -5,9
Nymburk 2 943 1 657 360 56,3 2 765 1 371 337 49,6 -6,0 -17,3 -6,7
Pha - vých. 5 900 2 560 636 43,4 5 188 1 770 555 34,1 -12,1 -30,9 -9,3
Pha - záp. 4 686 1 948 605 41,6 3 817 1 500 483 39,3 -18,5 -23,0 -2,3
Příbram 4 609 2 061 428 44,7 4 154 1 797 386 43,3 -9,9 -12,8 -1,5
Rakovník 2 218 1 301 411 58,7 1 827 930 339 50,9 -17,6 -28,5 -7,8
Total 52 191 24 789 471 47,5 45 463 19 477 409 42,8 -12,9 -21,4 -4,7

 


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