Pecina: Janov housing estate to be patrolled by 10 more police officers

Interior Minister Martin Pecina has promised the Litvínov town leadership that he will strengthen the local police force by 10 officers for the problematic Janov housing estate. The decision accommodates the town’s longstanding request, one which Police President Oldřich Martinů distanced himself from in May. According to local police officers and the mayor, the strengthening of patrol services at the housing estate is necessary, and Pecina told journalists it will take place within a few weeks at the latest.

“I will discuss increasing the number of these positions with the police president. We will find a solution so that this is addressed as quickly as possible. It is clear to me that the police president has historically had problems with the budget, as it has been gradually reduced over time. However, we are planning that next year’s budget will be set at an appropriate level,” Pecina said.

Pecina believes many other things can be done for the Janov housing estate and for the region: “However, I must first discuss specific proposals with the heads of the other ministries involved, as well as with the head of the Ústí region. Only then will I have something to say.”

Mayor of Litvínov Daniel Volák (ODS) welcomed the interior minister’s promise. “The minister is the first state representative to accommodate the town’s plea that the security situation be enhanced. I consider it a great success and I thank the minister,” he said.

The town is already addressing the situation at the Janov housing estate through its own efforts. For example, it has increased the number of patrol officers allocated to Janov by four. Since the start of July, a police assistant from the local Roma community has also been working at the housing estate. She is meant to be a contact point between people from the socially excluded locality and the municipal and state police.

Litvínov has also asked the Most Chamber of Commerce for assistance in funding security, order and cleanliness at the Janov housing estate. Volák said he turned to the Chamber of Commerce because the state was providing zero assistance and tax revenues are down as a result of the global financial crisis. The Litvínovská uhelná company was the first to respond, financing the purchase of a mobile municipal police station equipped with modern technology and 37 municipal garbage containers which will be distributed around the housing estate.

Five field social workers have been working at Janov since the start of May. The town received a subsidy for field social work of CZK 750 000 from the Office of the Czech Government and is contributing CZK 350 280 from its own budget. The town hall has also set up an office of its social affairs department directly at the housing estate. The field social workers’ task is to monitor the situation at the housing estate and become familiar with it, focusing on its disadvantaged or socially excluded community, including performing individual social work in 25 selected families, most of them Roma.