Interior minister presents changes to state officials' protection

Prague, Oct 3 (CTK) - Czech Interior Minister Jan Kubice and Police President Martin Cervicek Wednesday presented recommended changes to the guarding of top state representatives to the government, in reaction to an airsoft gun incident concerning President Vaclav Klaus last week.

During an official bridge opening in Chrastava, north Bohemia, that was attended by Klaus, local politicians and a crowd of people on September 28, a young man shot plastic pellets from an airsoft gun from a close distance at the president.

The shooter later said his act was a form of protest. The police charged him with breach of the peace. Though the president's life was not endangered, the bodyguards seemed to have failed, letting the young man aim the gun at Klaus, shoot and then leave the spot. The shooter was caught only after a while.

A working group was set up after the incident. The group analysed the incident and on Monday it agreed on the recommendations presented Wednesday.

Kubice said Wednesday the biggest mistake was in how the bodyguards reacted to the incident.

He said the training of the guards would newly include simulated situations, in which the risk of an attack is the highest.

Some rules for the work of bodyguards of state officials will be changed, Kubice said.

When asked whether Klaus himself might have influenced the bodyguards' work by his own wishes and demands, Kubice said he doubted that the chief of the guards would accepted any actions interfering with the form of protection.

Prime Minister Petr Necas said he would not change his mind and start using the services of guards.