Interior Minister Jan Kubice has effectively ruled out laying off any rank and file police offices or fire fighters, despite an expected CZK 1.7 billion cut in his ministry’s 2012 budget following on Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek’s proposal to freeze government spending at CZK 23.6bn in 2012. The minister also stressed that recent budget cuts — which prompted a reduction in the number of bureaucrats in the ministry administration — have not had a negative impact on policing.
