Brno - Czech Police Headquarters (HQ) openly says that homeless people are thieves. It also considers fair showing them to the public and accusing them without proofs that it is them who steal.
In its written statement, the Supreme Police Command further says that it is doing so on the basis of indisputable facts and will continue to do so as it is a part of preventive police work.
"Some people among whom is also a particular social group - the homeless - commit thefts especially in vacant facilities, public spaces and storage tracks," Police HQ's Constable Roman Skřepek wrote.
His note was part of a letter containing answers to questions Aktuálně.cz sent to the Police HQ in relation to the police actions around Brno Main Railway Station.
Emebdded journalists on scene
On Monday evening, January 14, the Czech Police in Brno invited journalists including photographers and TV crews to cover one such operation.
"We prepared an operation monitoring the illegal activity of the homeless at the railway. Damaging detached carriages and selling nonferrous metals in collection centres. Together with policemen you will go to the places where the homeless sleep and damage carriages," said the invitation to the journalists.
In the limelight, it then showed the journalists sleepy people in detached carriages as those pillaging Czech Railways' property.
On that particular night, journalists really saw some homeless people sleeping in carriages. But they did not see a single homeless dismantling the carriage equipment or damage it in any other way.
Blaming the media
The journalists themselves are said to have portrayed the homeless as thieves.
The Ministry of the Interior did not comment on the case. "We have nothing to say about it. This is not under our jurisdiction, address the Police HQ," The Ministry's Spokesperson Jana Malíková brushed off attempts made by Aktuálně.cz.
The policemen themselves were more communicative.
Actions of this type, according to them, are a routine matter. "The journalists just accompanied the policemen doing their daily job. The way the news reports are handled from the ethical point of view is a matter of responsibility of each editor and not of the Czech Police," Police HQ's Mr. Skřepek stated.
He also said that the police were planning to keep on carrying out these actions. "Our job is to prevent criminality and investigate crimes," he said explaining the need for these actions.
Brno Police Spokesperson Andrea Procházková herself nevertheless admitted that the action resulted in something else than the police expected.
"We wanted to draw attention to the burning issue of stealing in detached carriages. Our goal definitely wasn't to wake somebody up and film him," Procházková stated.
NGOs up in arms
Humanitarian organisations assisting the homeless are sharply criticising the police. The homeless were pictured on photographs and on TV as thieves without giving any proof.
There is no indication that they commit real crimes.
"The way the Czech Police prepared the Monday intimidating action for the media was completely unacceptable and non-professional from both human and professional point of view," Regional Charity Director Karel Kosina told Aktuálně.cz.
Not the first case of oppression
Experts draw attention to the fact that this was not the first case of policemen using inadequate methods against the homeless.
"Our clients sometimes do tell us of aggressively behaving policemen," Kosina admitted.
His colleagues from NGOs have similar experience. "Officers treat the homeless worse than I treat my carrot," Salvation Army's Pavel Kosorin told Aktuálně.cz.
Human Rights League Chairperson Jiří Kopal mentions cases of policemen kicking the homeless. "Unfortunately, the homeless often move on the edge of the law and are afraid to complain. So nobody deals with these cases," Kopal claims.
The Police HQ neither refuted nor confirmed the allegations of inadequate treatment of the homeless by law enforcers.
"Everybody is entitled to have their own opinion. However, we do not work with opinions but with facts. And our duty is to prevent criminality and investigate it. We will use all the means available in line with the law," Constable Skřepek said.
A call for cooperation
According to NGOs, repression makes no sense in the case of the homeless. "These are often mentally ill people. Instead of police persecution the need help and assistance of social workers and often also psychiatrists to get out of their difficult situation, " Kosina thinks.
According to him, the policemen could, for instance, inform the homeless about the possibility to wash and sleep in some of the facilities run by NGOs.
He says that the cooperation with the police works very well in the case of mothers with children in need, for example. The homeless are however a neglected minority.
