News

Crime in the Czech capital rose slightly in 2009, due to an increase in robberies in the city centre, the head of Prague’s police Martin Červíček said on Friday. According to the officer, break-ins at apartments downtown as well as bicycle theft contributed most to the slight bump in numbers: up by around 1,000 cases from the previous year. In 2009, Prague saw a total of around 84,100 cases in all. Police also registered a slight rise in the number of crimes solved: 18.8 percent. Regarding more serious crimes, Prague saw 34 murders last year - 30 of which were solved by police detectives.

A 69-year-old Czech woman in Tanvald, near Jablonec, survived a 10-story fall from her window on Friday morning. The accident happened when the woman apparently fainted in her apartment. The authorities said the woman was saved by more than a metre-and-a-half of snow outside of her building, which cushioned her landing. The fall, said a police representative, would otherwise almost certainly have proven fatal. The senior underwent a number of medical examinations which revealed no external or internal injuries.

The Czech Prime Minister, Jan Fischer, has asked the finance minister and other public shareholders of the energy giant ČEZ to make sure the firm’s anti-theft policies do not breach the law. The state-controlled ČEZ has come under criticism after Czech media published on Tuesday graphic video footage depicting the training of the company’s anti theft unit. Another video also showed that a man, suspected of stealing electricity, allegedly committed suicide. The prime minister said each individual and company has the right to protect themselves from crime, but that such protection must be in compliance with the law. ČEZ CEO, Martin Roman, admitted that the anti-theft squad made some “mistakes” in the past. However, the squad needed proper training as they often face criminal gangs stealing electricity from ČEZ, Mr Roman added.

The Czech ombudsman, Otakar Motejl, warned on Thursday that thousands of the country’s disabled were on the verge of poverty. Mr Motejl told reporters that a Czech law aimed at protecting the handicapped should quickly be amended; if MPs fail to do so, many disabled Czechs will face poverty.

The relevant act was tightened in 2009 as part of a government drive to combat welfare abuse. It now only grants disability pensions to people who had previously worked and paid social insurance. Those with the most serious disabilities who were unable to work, however, are as of January 2010 not eligible for any state subsidies. The ombudsman believes the current situation is a breach of their constitutional rights.