News

Minister of Interior Milan Chovanec has suggested that local councils be given more power in deciding who is issued with gun permits and their prolongation. Chovanec was speaking following Wednesday’s meeting of the lower house of parliament’s security committee which discussed the shootings in Uherský Brod last week. The minister also suggested that ways of getting the police special intervention squads faster to more distant parts of the country should be investigated. He said that probably would not mean the creation of special units in every region but more likely boosting the current units, for example by providing helicopters, so that they could get to the scene quicker, he added. A report on the options should be drawn up by the end of March. The special intervention squad had to travel from Brno to Uherský Brod, around 90 kilometres or at least an hour away by road.

The Czech government on Wednesday for the first time discussed the Uherský Brod shooting during which a 63-year-old gunman shot dead eight people in a restaurant before taking his own life. The discussion focused on a summary of the information collected so far by the Ministry of Interior and a precise timeline of the events which took place on February 24. The ministry and police have been on the defensive following the worst attack of its kind in recent Czech history. It was later revealed that police intervention occurred hours after the shootings had taken place although some individuals who had hidden in the restaurant and nearby were still at risk. Police say they had no way of knowing how many hostages the gunman had.

Prague zoo is seeking to create a small atelier for the production of paper – from elephant droppings. Inspiration for such production comes from Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka, where such production is common. Prague City Council, which manages the zoo has set aside 2.5 million crowns to finance the facility. The main aim is that visitors themsleves could try to produce paper. The production proces involves boiling the elephant droppings in water, mashing them up, and finally heating them again and leaving the mash to dry in the sun.

The Catholic Church in the Czech Republic has said bells will be rung from churches across the country in tribute to the victims of the Uherský Brod shooting last week. The tribute will last for two minutes and 20 seconds just after midday on Thursday. The Czech government recommended the step on Wednesday. As well as bells, emergency sirens in towns and cities will also go off at noon on Thursday in memory of the victims following the cancellation of the tradition practice on the first Wednesday of each month.