Lany, Central Bohemia, July 30 (CTK) – Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) again criticised Saturday Interior Minister Milan Chovanec’s (Social Democrats, CSSD) demand for an additional three billion crowns for his sector to raise the number of police and fight terrorism.
Terrorism should be fought through the secret services, not by raising the number of policemen, Babis said after Saturday’s meeting with President Milos Zeman on the 2017 state budget at the Lany chateau.
Babis said he had informed Zeman about his stance, but that Zeman had not commented on it very much.
The required three billion crowns should be spent mainly on technical equipment, which is in harmony with the approved concept of the anti-terrorism fight, Chovanec said on Twitter.
“Will we really wage political battles concerning terrorism in the government? The effort to weaken the police is apparently ANO’s major priority,” Chovanec wrote.
Babis previously mentioned the Interior Ministry’s reserves in its budget and he said he would welcome it if the CSSD ministers were considering savings.
Saturday, Babis reminded of the fact that Chovanec had received 1.38 billion crowns for migration and he was drawing these finances minimally. He has so far used only 340 million, Babis added.
He also pointed to some 2900 vacancies in the interior sector, including 2300 the police alone.
“I rather consider it a populist statement since I do not think that we will fight terrorism by raising the number of police officers in the streets. I think terrorism should be fought through intelligence, secret services and infiltration,” Babis said, adding that the communities from which potential terrorists can emerge are well known.
Moreover, he said he had learn about Chovanec demands from the media.
Nevertheless, security is a priority and secret services must be strengthened, Babis added.
($1=24.324 crowns)
