Prague, May 11 (CTK) – The Czech cabinet agreed on Wednesday with the plan to create a 181-strong mobile unit of foreigner police that would be capable of immediately reacting to the development of illegal migration and ensuring the public peace and border protection in this connection, the Interior Ministry told CTK.
The measure was proposed by Interior Minister Milan Chovanec.
The new unit will also operate in foreigner detention centres, if need be, the ministry’s spokeswoman, Lucie Novakova, said.
The measure aims to increase the Czech police’s preparedness for risks linked to a possible migrant wave, she said.
Parts of the mobile unit will be seated in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, north Moravia, and Pardubice, east Bohemia.
The unit’s operation will not burden the state budget because 170 of its members will be paid instead of the staff of a planned foreigner detention centre near Brno that has not been opened for the time being. The remaining 11 members will be paid from the money saved in the Bela-Jezova detention centre where the staff are slimmer than originally planned.
The police want to acquire a part of the new unit’s members in a recruitment campaign, and a part will be formed by the police officers who have focused on migration so far.
In choosing the members, the ministry will also place emphasis on the candidates’ language proficiency.
The unit could also be immediately sent abroad to help protect the Schengen external border.
Its other tasks will be the uncovering and prevention of terrorism and organised crime and helping tackle the aftermath of catastrophes and natural disasters.
