Czech town whose mayor recently insulted the Romani minority accesses EU subsidy to re-hire five Romani crime prevention assistants
Romani crime prevention assistants will be working in Vsetín, Czech Republic as of the start of September. Their job description will mainly involve supervision of the safety of persons and property, observance of public order, and communication with the Romani minority.
Jana Raszková, spokesperson for Vsetín City Hall, posted the information to the city’s website. Crime prevention assistants worked in Vsetín previously through other subsidized projects.
City Hall says these positions had a positive impact on the local situation. They therefore took advantage of an opportunity through the Agency for Social Inclusion (the Department of Social Inclusion at the Ministry for Regional Development) and of an EU subsidy title to apply for a subsidy for five crime prevention assistants for three years.
“Our application was successful and we won the resources to pay and equip five staffers, the total amount is more than CZK 6.7 million [EUR 275,770]. The city itself will contribute CZK 670,000 [EUR 27,577],” said Mayor Jiří Čunek (Christian Democrats – KDU-ČSL).
“We are hoping the crime prevention assistants’ work will increase supervision over high-risk areas where conflicts happen between the majority and the Roma. However, part of their job will also be supervising Romani schoolchildren on their way to school, and we may eventually take advantage of them to maintain order at the swimming pool,” the mayor said.
The news of the financial support for Vsetín comes just after there have been media reports of the security situation there being poor in relation to Roma, and Čunek recently attacked the Romani community, alleging that most Romani people do not work and live on welfare. Vsetín City Hall says Romani minority members have shown great interest in the crime prevention assistant jobs.
As many as 20 persons applied for the jobs and five with the best prerequisites for success were selected. The assistants will work in pairs on double shifts.
“Their hours could be adjusted according to the actual security situation, for example, when there are local cultural events they could work into the night,” local sheriff Patrik Pecina said, adding that before coming on duty, the new staffers will undergo essential entry-level training to learn about their rights and responsibilities in the role. There are also crime prevention assistants elsewhere in the Zlín Region, such as in the city of Kroměříž, as well as elsewhere in the Czech Republic, such as in Jablonec nad Nisou or Tábor.
