Police of the Czech Republic


The Police of the Czech Republic is the national agency in the field of law enforcement in the Czech Republic. It was established on 15 July 1991 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. The agency is tasked with protecting citizens, property and public order and as of 2015, there were around 40,500 employees. Czech state police cooperates with municipal police departments, which are present in some municipalities.

History

The Police of the Czech Republic took over land management after the communist SNB in the Czech Republic with the exception of military police who are part of the army. Members were recruited from the former communist SNB, after passing a vetting "democratic" commission established after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 to eliminate from the police force communist ideologues and agents of the secret police. A similar procedure was also undertaken in the then-Slovak Republic. Some police officers were employed by a small federal police force, whose mandate expired on 31 December 1992.

Jurisdiction and organisation

The Police of the Czech Republic has general jurisdiction in the investigation of misdemeanors and crimes. Its proceedings are overseen by an independent prosecutor, who can bring charges in criminal matters. It does not have jurisdiction in fields falling within the competence of other specialized bodies, such as the Customs service, military police, judicial guard or the Secret service. PČR is the main investigative body of the Ministry of the Interior. It should not be confused with the municipal police, which may be established by a municipality and which supervises public order and road safety; municipal police also have jurisdiction only over misdemeanours, and in criminal investigations may serve only in a supportive role for the state police.
The Police of the Czech Republic is responsible for search and rescue operations and on this behalf cooperates with Mountain Rescue Service of the Czech Republic that is highly professional rescue agency.
Some crimes are being solved in co-operation with intelligence agencies such as BIS or ÚZSI.
On-duty officers are obliged to carry service weapons depending on the nature of their work or by their superior executive officer ordinance.
Regardless of being assigned to nationwide or regional units all police officers while on or off-duty have the right to act if the crime or serious offense is happening and life, health or property may be in imminent danger. Civilian employees of police are obliged to act only while on-duty. Generally, police officers are not allowed to carry service weapons while off-duty if not approved by regional or unit police chief, which is on condition that their life may be in serious immediate danger. If a police officer still wants to carry a weapon off-duty, he/she has to use their personal handgun like any other armed citizen. Off-duty officers can use their personal weapon when acting as a police officer.

Organisation

  • Police President of the Czech Republic
  • * Office of the Police President
  • * First Deputy for External Service
  • ** Protection Service
  • ** Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service
  • ** Aviation Service
  • ** Police Education and Service Training Unit
  • ** Directorate of Alien and Border Police Service
  • ** Directorate of Public Order Police Service
  • ** Directorate of Traffic Police Service
  • ** Directorate of Weapons and Security Material Service
  • * Deputy for Criminal Police and Investigation Service
  • ** Bureau of Criminal Police and Investigation Service
  • ** National Headquarters Against Organized Crime of the CPIS
  • ** National Counterterrorism, Extremism, and Cybercrime Agency of the CPIS
  • ** National Drug Headquarters of the CPIS
  • ** Unit for Special Operations of the CPIS
  • ** Unit for Intelligence Gathering of the CPIS
  • ** Rapid Response Unit
  • ** Office of Documentation and Investigation of Crime of Communism of the CPIS
  • * Deputy for Economics
  • ** Logistics Support Administration
  • * Directorate of Administration and Service Support
  • * Regional Police Directorates
  • ** Capital City Prague
  • ** Central Bohemian Region
  • ** South Bohemian Region
  • ** Plzeň Region
  • ** Karlovy Vary Region
  • ** Ústí nad Labem Region
  • ** Liberec Region
  • ** Hradec Králové Region
  • ** Pardubice Region
  • ** South Moravian Region
  • ** Vysočina Region
  • ** Zlín Region
  • ** Moravian-Silesian Region
  • ** Olomouc Region

    Nationwide jurisdiction

  • Institute of Criminalistics Prague
  • Aviation Service
  • National Headquarters Against Organized Crime of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service - created in August 2016 by joining two nationwide operating units of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service:
  • * Unit for Organized Crime
  • * Unit for Corruption and Financial Criminality
  • National Drug Headquarters of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service
  • Unit for Special Operations of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service - cover IDs, undercover cops, fake money transfers, short-term protection of important crime witnesses
  • Unit for Intelligence Gathering of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service - wiretapping, personal surveillance, etc.
  • Office of Documentation and Investigation of Crime of Communism of the Criminal Police and Investigation Service
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service
  • Directorate of Alien and Border Police Service
  • Unit for Protection of the President of the Czech Republic
  • Unit for Protection of constitutional office holders
  • Police Education and Service Training Unit
  • Rapid Response Unit

    Regional jurisdiction

There are 14 regional headquarters, with jurisdictions covering the regions of the Czech Republic.
Police officers serving under regional HQs are usually organized in the following sections:
  • Public Order Police Service - general and largest, most versatile, police officers on general patrolling duty serving at local and district police stations, most usually first responders. Squad cars usually manned by two officers, apart from pistols usually with at least one select-fire gun stored in car's rear seats or trunk.
  • * Public Order Units - perform specific tasks in the area of protecting people and property, special equipment and training, most often dispatched in large numbers. Squad minivans usually with seven heavily armed policemen.
  • * Intervention Units - regional SWAT teams. Mainly for assisting criminal police with arresting dangerous offenders who have committed extremely serious crimes or to perform preliminary measures against terrorists, kidnappers or hijackers. They may be even assigned tasks related to the protection of buildings or the transport of dangerous substances, objects or valuables. Apart from cars equipped also with transport helicopters.
  • * First Response Patrol - these units reinforce the public order service units on patrolling duty. Squad cars usually with two or three policemen armed either with Heckler & Koch G36, MP5 or MP7. The official target is to have enough such patrols in service so that at least one squad car with heavily armed and active-attacker response drilled officers can reach any place within 10 minutes.
  • * Waterway Units - assigned duties at waterway stations established at major waterways. They control compliance with navigation rules and the Water Act, maintain public order on waterways and bodies of water, help rescue drowning people and clearing up after floods and other natural disasters.
  • * Police Divers - assigned not only to waterway stations but also to intervention and rapid deployment units.
  • * Railway Units - in train stations of major railway hubs, also operate in trains
  • Cynology Service - training of dogs and dog handlers, about 800 dogs are in active service with the Czech Police
  • Hippology Service - training of horses and mounted policemen mainly for patrolling in natural reserve areas and for riot duty
  • Traffic Police Service - supervising the safety and flow of road traffic, dealing with traffic accidents and to check whether traffic rules are followed.
  • Weapons and Security Material Service - deals with civilian firearms ownership and issuing of gun licenses, business with military equipment, explosives, gun ranges etc.
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service - apart from disposing of explosive materials also provides expert opinions in the field of forensic pyrotechnics
  • Criminal Police and Investigation Service - second largest service, usually divided into:
  • * White Collar Crime Division - economical, tax, currency related crime
  • ** Usually divided into specialized sections
  • * Analytics and Cybercrime Division
  • * General Crime Division - usually divided into specialized sections :
  • ** 1st Section - Homicides, violent crimes, suicides
  • ** 2nd Section - Robberies, extortions/blackmail
  • ** 3rd Section - Sexual and/or juvenile related crime, rape, prostitution
  • ** 4th Section - Vehicle thefts
  • ** 5th Section - Thefts, property related crime
  • ** 6th Section - Search for people and things
  • ** 7th Section - Permanent crime scene response unit
  • ** 8th Section - Drug related crime
  • ** 9th Section - Extremism, racially motivated crime, hooligans
  • * Forensic Laboratories and Expertise Service
  • * Operative Documentation Division
  • * Technical Security Division

    Selection process

Anyone who wants to become a police officer must undergo a selection process. The selection procedure usually lasts 3 months. During the procedure, the applicant must undergo a psychological examination, a physical fitness test, a medical examination and other personnel procedures. The applicant must be of legal age and of criminal record.

Conditions for admission

  1. citizenship of the Czech Republic
  2. age over 18 years
  3. full legal capacity
  4. integrity
  5. secondary education and higher
  6. physical, health and personal fitness to perform the service*
  7. is not a member of a political party or political movement
  8. does not carry out a trade or other gainful activity and is not a member of the management or control bodies of legal entities that carry out business activities