Zbiroh, West Bohemia, Feb 17 (CTK) – The Czech Republic and Germany want to personally reinforce the Czech-German police contact centres important for the exchange of information over the migrant crisis, Czech Police President Tomas Tuhy told CTK on Wednesday.
The centres in Schwandorf, Bavaria, and Petrovice, north Bohemia, started their operation in 2007 when the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Area.
Dozens of Czech police work in the centres.
When the Bavarian contact centre started operating, it had 16 Czech employees. Besides coordinating activities, they also cooperate in searching for persons and stolen vehicles.
There are also two Czech-Polish contact centres, one Czech-Austrian and one Czech-Slovak.
Tuhy said the centres are of fundamental importance. “We want to extend the capacities to include international issues. The centres’ potential will be applicable in tackling the situations that now afflict Europe and the world,” Tuhy said, hinting at migration and terrorism.
Last October, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said at a meeting with Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec he would like to personally reinforce the centres since they provide important information, for instance on drugs.
