Czech town implements "zero tolerance" over shooting between two Romani families

News server Deník.cz reported on 12 December that the town of Šternberk and local police applied security measures and a "zero tolerance" policy three weeks ago after a shooting took place between local Romani families. Today the situation is said to be calm.

The town council is seeking long-term solutions that will lead to the resolution of the dispute of many years’ duration between the warring camps. For the time being the local government is counting on meeting with the Romani residents regularly and helping to smooth over the rough edges on both sides.

Should the situation become extreme, the town council will start negotiations with one or the other of the quarreling families about moving elsewhere. "On the surface things are calm, but emotions are obvious:  On the one side, someone was injured, and on the other side, they were attacked and ‘innocently’ ended up in prison," Mayor Stanislav Orság said last week after meeting with representatives of the Romani families.  

The mayor said he had reiterated to the Romani families that he expects them to take more responsibility for their relations with the other people living in Šternberk and to change their behavior. "If we see improvement, the town is prepared to take helpful steps," he said, adding that the dispute between the families dates back to the 1980s.

The town council does not intend to soften the security measures it adopted in agreement with police in the immediate aftermath of the incident. The shooting near the local Labor Office resulted in two Romani people seeking treatment in hospital.