Area (km2): Population: Unemployment rate: Density: |
10,875 857,384 7.92 79 |
Kind of crime | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||
Crime | Clr. up | Det. rate (%) | Crime | Clr. up | Det. rate (%) | Crime | Clr. up | Det. rate (%) | |
Total crime | 26,881 | 13,248 | 49.3 | 29,593 | 14,367 | 48.5 | 30,159 | 15,771 | 52.3 |
Development changes | +1,018 | +719 | 0.8 | +2,712 | +1,119 | -0.7 | +566 | +1,404 | 3.7 |
Violent crimes | 1,694 | 1,430 | 84.4 | 1,905 | 1,616 | 84.8 | 1,883 | 1,623 | 86.2 |
Murders | 24 | 21 | 87.5 | 27 | 23 | 85.2 | 19 | 19 | 100.0 |
Robberies | 329 | 179 | 54.4 | 377 | 207 | 54.9 | 361 | 193 | 53.5 |
Moral crimes | 225 | 213 | 94.7 | 272 | 258 | 94.9 | 219 | 206 | 94.1 |
Rape | 40 | 24 | 85.0 | 66 | 56 | 84.8 | 56 | 48 | 85.7 |
Crimes against property | 19,212 | 6,060 | 31.5 | 20,829 | 6,193 | 29.7 | 20,266 | 6,405 | 31.6 |
Total burglaries | 7,063 | 2,099 | 29.7 | 7,135 | 2,033 | 28.5 | 6,549 | 2,002 | 30.6 |
Burglaries to flats | 575 | 221 | 38.4 | 818 | 297 | 36.3 | 757 | 281 | 37.1 |
Burglaries to weekend houses | 1,679 | 660 | 39.3 | 1,586 | 546 | 34.4 | 1,497 | 569 | 38.0 |
Common thefts | 10,461 | 2,995 | 28.6 | 12,005 | 3,271 | 27.2 | 11,639 | 3,128 | 26.9 |
Pickpockets | 371 | 46 | 12.4 | 417 | 43 | 10.3 | 392 | 47 | 12.0 |
Car thefts | 1,717 | 437 | 25.5 | 1,780 | 399 | 22.4 | 1,895 | 448 | 23.6 |
Thefts from cars | 3,156 | 707 | 22.4 | 3,717 | 749 | 20.2 | 3,622 | 629 | 17.4 |
Bicycle thefts | 918 | 184 | 20.0 | 1,298 | 289 | 22.3 | 1,068 | 225 | 21.1 |
Economic crimes | 2,019 | 1,994 | 98.8 | 2,434 | 2,327 | 95.6 | 3,613 | 3,522 | 97.5 |
Embezzlement | 437 | 437 | 100.0 | 545 | 544 | 99.8 | 541 | 539 | 99.6 |
Fraud | 835 | 834 | 99.9 | 894 | 888 | 99.3 | 1,489 | 1,485 | 99.7 |
Total crime | 30,159 | (+1.9%) |
Crime per 10,000 inhabitants | 352 | |
Number of crimes cleared up | 15,771 | (+9.8%) |
Average detection rate (%) | 52.3% | (+3.8%) |
The highest number of crimes | Plzeň | 7,747 |
Karlovy Vary | 5,150 | |
The highest number of crimes /10,000 inhabitants | Plzeň | 460 |
Karlovy Vary | 419 | |
The lowest number of crimes | Rokycany | 1,3426 |
Domažlice | 1,369 | |
The highest increase in crimes (%) | Plzeň - jih | +18.8% |
Klatovy | +15.3% | |
The highest decrease in crimes (%) | Karlovy Vary | -9.4% |
Crime development in West Bohemia showed a moderate increase in the number of criminal offences accompanied with a higher number of crimes cleared up and a higher detection rate. In 1999, the police ascertained 30,159 (+566) crimes, 15,771 (+1,404) of them were cleared up with a detection rate of 52.3 % (+3.7%).
In terms of crime development in individual districts, the highest increase was recorded in the Plzeň district (+540 crimes), followed by the Klatovy (+353 crimes) and Plzeň-jih (+267 crimes) districts. On the other hand, a decline in crimes was recorded in the Karlovy Vary (-535 crimes), Sokolov (-190 crimes) and Cheb (-187 crimes) districts.
Crime Factors (perceived by the Czech police of West Bohemia)
The security situation in West Bohemia is affected by specific factors that are given mainly by the geographical location of the region (neighbouring Germany where the border is 447.6 kilometres long):
Of the total number of 15,771 crimes cleared up repeat offenders committed 6,026 crimes, and their proportion in total crime was 38.2 % (-1%). In the field of common crime, repeat offenders committed 4,590 crimes, which accounted for a proportion of 46.3%. Of total violent crimes cleared up, repeat offenders committed 609 offences, i.e. 37.5%. In nine case they committed a murder i.e. 47.4%, and in 102 cases they were detected as robbers, accounting for 52.8%. They markedly participated in committing ”qualified” crimes (e.g. 24 cleared up burglaries to cash vaults and armour-plated safes). A high proportion was recorded with all other kinds of burglaries, mostly burglaries to weekend houses, where repeat offenders committed 448 offences, i.e.78.7%. Repeat offenders also committed 728 economic crimes which accounted for 20.7%.
In the course of 1999, foreigners committed altogether 1,113 criminal offences that accounted for 7.1% of the total number of crimes cleared up. They committed 4 murders (i.e 21.1%), and five foreigners were murdered.
The current practice demonstrates that unauthorised employment is being substituted by foreigners´ applications for long term residency, the purpose of which is to establish a business. Issuing a Trade Licence, establishing a commercial company, or agricultural co-operative farm fulfils this purpose. In the case of companies, there are usually 30 – 50 persons who carry out different activities from those who have been issued a Trade License. They are not insured and, in their tax returns, they report a loss. This situation serves to legalise their formerly unauthorised business activities. In spite of good co-operation between the immigration police and the job centres, it is quite difficult to prove such illegal activities.
1998 | 1999 | Difference | % | |
Germancitizens | 30 | 29 | - 1 | - 3.3 |
Other foreigners | 34 | 31 | - 3 | - 8.8 |
Total | 64 | 60 | - 4 | - 6.3 |
1998 | 1999 | Difference | % | |
Czech citizens | 316 | 293 | - 23 | - 7.2 |
Foreigners | 5,173 | 2,290 | - 2,883 | - 55.7 |
Total | 5,489 | 2,583 | - 2,906 | - 52.9 |
In 1999, 1,252 persons were taken to the border police offices in individual District Czech Police Headquarters for illegally attempting to cross the international borders. Several organisations led by foreigners geared towards people-trafficking were detected. They operated mainly in the Domalice district.
A retaining camp for foreigners established in Balková village, Plzeň-sever district, was, during the course of the year, always full. There were foreigners returned to the Czech Republic within the readmission agreements signed with Germany. The most frequent fugitives were from Asia and South-East Europe who, when apprehended, applied for political asylum. On the hand, the number of fugitives from Yugoslavia slightly decreased. There were 24 police deportations, taking 63 persons to the borders with Slovakia. 102 persons were administratively deported, 34 persons more than in 1998. The immigration police departments detected 319 persons contained in PATROS files, 47 motor vehicles included in PATRMV files, 73 persons contained in INO files and 637 persons included in other searching files.
279 crimes related to drugs (+95) were detected in West Bohemia. Out of which 240 cases related to unauthorised production and possession of narcotic and psychotropic substances and poisons; 39 cases related to spreading addiction. 277 offences were cleared up which accounted for 99,3 %. Marijuana and pervitin are the most frequent drugs.
Preventative activities related to drugs police co-operation with social rehabilitation services, pedagogical and psychological advisory centres for children and adults, children crisis centre for children and youth and anti-drug centre was beneficial.
6 crimes of defamation of a nation, race or conviction and 31 crimes of support and propagation of movements aimed at suppressing citizens’ freedom and rights were committed mainly by skinhead movement supporters. In 1999, 5 meetings and performances of extremist groups were held in West Bohemia. In three cases those were meetings of skinhead movement supporters (twice in Chodov and once in Plzeň). 2 of those cases were demonstrations organised by the Czech Anarchist Federation. They were held in Plzeň.
Youths committed 2,009 offences which accounted for 12.7% of the total number of cases cleared up.
Youths committed 1,881 common crimes i.e 19.0 % of crimes cleared up, out of which young people committed 178 (i.e. 11.0 %) violent crimes. Youths markedly participated in robberies (48 cases cleared up which accounts for 24.9 %) and in extortion (42 crimes, i.e. 24.8 %). In one case a juvenile person committed a homicidal attempt that was motivated by a financial debt the offender was not able to repay to a victim. A high proportion of young offenders was reported in crimes against property where youths committed 1,523 crimes which accounts for 23.8 %. Most crimes of young people in this field related to thefts from cars (231 offences which accounts for 36.7 %), car thefts (143 crimes i.e. 31.9 %) and bicycle thefts (67 crimes i.e. 29.8 %). Youth crimes represented a minimal proportion in economic crimes.
Of crimes cleared up, youths have a principal proportion in spreading alarming news, where there were 19 young offenders from 24 cases cleared up (i.e. 79.2 %), out of which there were 13 children and 6 juveniles. Those are especially telephone calls to schools and apprentice centres about bombs. As for spreading addiction there was a high proportion of youths, where 14 cases cleared up accounted for 36.8 % of all cases cleared up.
The prevention of youth crime is not only the police’s and penal proceeding bodies’ responsibility. The decisive role is played by the family and all other institutions that participate in education and training young people (such as schools, youth houses, interest groups).
In 1999, there were altogether 20,266 crimes against property, which means a decline by 563 cases. Despite a moderate decline, crimes against property has remained dominant and they, to a certain extent, influence the safety feeling of citizens. The most frequent crimes were thefts from cars (3,622), car thefts (1,895), burglaries to weekend houses (1,497) and bicycle thefts (1,068). 6,405 such crimes were cleared up, which account for 31.6 %.
The highest numbers of car thefts were recorded, as in previous years, in the Plzeň-město (714), Karlovy Vary (330), and Cheb (320) districts. Škoda cars (all types) remain dominant among stolen cars, followed by VW, Audi, Peugeot, Mercedes, Renault, and Fiat models. In spite of the fact that victims were predominantly Czech citizens, foreigners formed more than one fourth of the victims (mostly from Germany) whose cars were stolen (550).
As in the case of car thefts, the most frequent the cases of thefts from cars were in the Plzeň-město (1,482), Karlovy Vary (538), and Cheb (412) districts. Among the most frequents ways of breaking into cars is smashing the window, violently opening the lock, or pulling up the door catch.
In 1999, the number of burglaries to flats, weekend houses and other similar buildings slightly fell. The police recorded 757 (- 61) burglaries to flats, 1,497 (-89) burglaries to weekend houses and the detection rate was in the both cases about 37-38 %. Burglaries to flats are carried out especially by breaking a FAB lock into two and then removing the block of a lock. Or in case of two swing doors, burglars pull up a door hinge. In case of burglaries to weekend houses burglars break and open the window. Serial burglaries were recorded in the region only in several cases.
The police recorded 3,613 economic crimes, an increase by 1,179 cases (i.e. +48.4%). 3,522 such crimes were cleared up and the detection rate was 97.5%. In terms of the economic crime structure, the most frauds were there, numbering 1.489 cases (i.e. 41,2%), followed by embezzlement – 541 cases (i.e.15.0%) and copyright infringements – 416 cases (i.e.11.5%). The most serious crimes were committed in banking, especially by unauthorised withdrawals from giro accounts, credit frauds and curtailment of taxes and customs fees, mainly exporting and importing alcohol. Computer crimes cannot be omitted either. Such crimes display a high latency and therefore they are becoming an important risk factor. Apart from classically misusing data carrier record, information technology is misused for frauds in the finance and banking sectors, for embezzlements and evasion of taxes.
Persisting problems are business transfer participation of large companies, including their liabilities, to persons who do not possess any business experience. They will never manage the business and therefore they only serve as middlemen for a further transfer to a latter unknown entity.
The most serious crimes in this area are murders and homicidal attempts. In 1999 in West Bohemia, the police detected a total of 19 (-8) such crimes and their detection rate was 100 %. Murders were motivated especially by personal disputes and disputes relating to property (12 cases). In two cases, there was a sexual motive. In two cases, there was a robbery and in two cases newly born infants were murdered. Another case involved an attack against policemen on duty. There were 361 robberies, out of which offenders used a weapon in 54 cases. Most robberies were committed ”on free space” (total 61), then in shops (14) in hotels and restaurants (14), post offices (4) and petrol stations (4). The highest number of robberies with weapons was recorded in the the Plzeň-město (17), Karlovy Vary (12), and Sokolov (8 cases) districts. The highest number of such crimes totalled in the Plzeň - město (115), Cheb (73) and Karlovy Vary (66) districts.
In 1999, there were 219 moral crimes, which were 53 less than 1998. Their detection rate reached 94.1 %. In this crime category, sexual abuse was the most frequent crime with 112 cases and 96.4 % of them were cleared up. Moral crimes account only for less than 1 % of total crimes, and those crimes do not affect the security situation in the region.
1998 | 1999 | Difference | Difference (%) | |
Road accidents | 19,589 | 22,228 | + 2,639 | + 13.5 |
People killed | 92 | 112 | + 20 | + 21.7 |
Heavy injuries | 494 | 555 | + 61 | + 12.3 |
Light injuries | 2,726 | 2,981 | + 255 | + 9.4 |
Damage – estimation in CZK | 688.6 mil. | 771.2 mil. | + 82.6 mil. | + 12.0 |
In the course of 1999, the police of West Bohemia adopted safety measures called ”Summer and Winter Motor Season”. They carried out 21 (7) road safety actions ”X”, 20 of which were carried out using all the resources of all Traffic Police Departments in the territory of one district. (They focused mainly of speed limits in municipalities). The police also carried out two road safety actions ”Y”. The police also adopted measures aimed at restricting traffic accidents in relation to the end of the school year, the beginning of holidays, and the beginning of the new academic year.
1998 | 1999 | +/- change in % | |
Total crime ascertained | 29,593 | 30,159 | 1.9 |
Crimes cleared up | 14,367 | 15,771 | 9.8 |
which accounts for (%) | 48.5 | 52.3 | - |
Total damage ascertained (in thousands of CZK) | 1,877,715 | 6,208,375 | 230.6 |
Secured damage (in thousands of CZK) | 26,068 | 20,480 | -21.4 |
Common crimes | 24,580 | 24,119 | -1.9 |
Crimes cleared up | 9,578 | 9,908 | 3.4 |
which accounts for (%) | 39.0 | 41.1 | - |
Violent crimes | 1,905 | 1,883 | -1.2 |
Crimes cleared up | 1,616 | 1,623 | 0.4 |
which accounts for (%) | 84.8 | 86.2 | - |
Of which: Robberies | 377 | 361 | -4.2 |
Murders | 27 | 19 | -29.6 |
Intentional injury to health | 541 | 509 | -5.9 |
Dangerous threats | 231 | 273 | 18.2 |
Extortion | 195 | 186 | -4.6 |
Moral crime | 272 | 219 | -19.5 |
Crimes cleared up | 258 | 206 | -20.2 |
which accounts for (%) | 94.9 | 94.1 | - |
Of which: Rape | 66 | 56 | -15.2 |
Procurement (pandering) | 32 | 33 | 3.1 |
Crimes against property | 20,829 | 20,266 | -2.7 |
Crimes cleared up | 6,193 | 6,405 | 3.4 |
which accounts for (%) | 29.7 | 31.6 | - |
Burglaries | 7,135 | 6,549 | -8.2 |
Crimes cleared up | 2,033 | 2,002 | -1.5 |
which accounts for (%) | 28.5 | 30.6 | - |
Of which: to shops | 698 | 576 | -17.5 |
to flats | 818 | 757 | -7.5 |
to weekend houses | 1,586 | 1,497 | -5.6 |
Common thefts | 12,005 | 11,639 | -3.0 |
Crimes cleared up | 3,271 | 3,128 | -4.4 |
which accounts for (%) | 27.2 | 26.9 | - |
Of which: car theft | 1,780 | 1,895 | 6.5 |
thefts from cars | 3,717 | 3,622 | -2.6 |
bicycles | 1,298 | 1,068 | -17.7 |
pickpockets | 417 | 392 | -6.0 |
Frauds | 430 | 669 | 55.6 |
Other crime | |||
Rowdyism | 253 | 292 | 15.4 |
Unauthorised production and possession of psychotropic substances and poisons | 148 | 240 | 62.2 |
Spreading drug addiction | 36 | 39 | 8.3 |
Frustrating execution of an official decision | 764 | 744 | -2.6 |
Economic crime | 2,434 | 3,613 | 48.4 |
Crimes cleared up | 2,327 | 3,522 | 51.4 |
which accounts for (%) | 95.6 | 97.5 | - |
Of which: Curtailment of taxes | 82 | 179 | 118.3 |
Frauds | 894 | 1,489 | 66.6 |
Embezzlement | 545 | 541 | -0.7 |
Infringements of rights relating to trademarks | 34 | 99 | 191.2 |
Infringement of copyright | 85 | 416 | 389.4 |
1998 | 1999 | Change | |||||||||
District | Ascer. | Clr. up | Crime/ 10 th. inh. |
Det. rate % | Ascer. | Clr. up | Crime/ 10 th. inh. |
Det. rate % | Ascer. (%) | Clr. up (%) | Det. rat (%) |
Domažlice | 1,341 | 809 | 230 | 60.3 | 1,369 | 871 | 235 | 63.6 | 2.1 | 7.7 | 3.3 |
Cheb | 3,615 | 1,915 | 415 | 53.0 | 3,428 | 1,914 | 394 | 55.8 | -5.2 | -0.1 | 2.9 |
Karlovy Vary | 5,685 | 2,433 | 463 | 42.8 | 5,150 | 2,648 | 419 | 51.4 | -9.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 |
Klatovy | 2,308 | 1,179 | 261 | 51.1 | 2,661 | 1,347 | 301 | 50.6 | 15.3 | 14.2 | -0.5 |
Plzeň | 7,207 | 2,963 | 425 | 41.1 | 7,747 | 3,264 | 460 | 42.1 | 7.5 | 10.2 | 1.0 |
Plzeň - jih | 1,419 | 671 | 211 | 47.3 | 1,686 | 886 | 250 | 52.6 | 18.8 | 32.0 | 5.3 |
Plzeň - sever | 1,607 | 818 | 221 | 50.9 | 1,794 | 989 | 246 | 55.1 | 11.6 | 20.9 | 4.2 |
Rokycany | 1,272 | 604 | 279 | 47.5 | 1,342 | 791 | 293 | 58.9 | 5.5 | 31.0 | 11.5 |
Sokolov | 3,325 | 1,870 | 350 | 56.2 | 3,135 | 1,949 | 330 | 62.2 | -5.7 | 4.2 | 5.9 |
Tachov | 1,814 | 1,105 | 354 | 60.9 | 1,847 | 1,112 | 360 | 60.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | -0.7 |
Total | 25,593 | 14,367 | 345 | 48.5 | 30,159 | 15,771 | 352 | 52.3 | 1.9 | 9.8 | 3.7 |