Socially excluded localities and the situation with firefighters and police were the main topics of a visit paid by Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec to the Olomouc Region today. The visit was part of the minister’s ongoing series of trips to the regions.
In addition to debates with firefighters and police, the minister met with representatives of municipalities and discussed their current problems with them. The Czech Interior Ministry has reported the visit on its website.
While visiting a socially excluded locality in Přerov, Chovanec assured local citizens and politicians that the Government is serious about fighting troubled localities and the problems associated with them. "The issue of residential hotels for the socially vulnerable troubles the Olomouc region, primarily the residents of Přerov, where there are already 16 such facilities. We want to urgently solve this problem. I say clearly that this trafficking in human poverty must stop," the minister said, adding that "We want to find a comprehensive solution in this locality. I want police officers to be visible here so the people who commute into town by train feel safe."
The minister said the town of Přerov should take more advantage of crime prevention programs, including hiring caretakers for the residential hotels and Romani assistants. He has established a working group to review the issue of socially excluded localities.
"In June the working group met and the result of its deliberations is that while the ministry is already addressing these problems, it is not possible to do so in isolation, they must be resolved in collaboration with all the official bodies concerned. A joint task force on this issue should produce its results with 14 days," the minister said.
According to the minister, the state will no longer throw money away on "pseudo-residential hotels" and entrepreneurs who make money on human poverty, but will instead invest into decent social housing. The Interior Ministry has supported 27 crime prevention projects this year in Olomouc Region.
"I hope this will help to at least somewhat increase the effectiveness of the fight against crime," said the minister. As part of its Crime Prevention Program, the ministry has financially supported the Crime Prevention Assistant project.
There will be two such assistants working in Moravský Beroun and two in Šternberk, both in Olomouc Region. Other projects supported included, for example, establishing and expanding municipal CCTV systems and a project called Caretakers as Crime Preventers (Domovník – preventista).
