Speech of the Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek at the National Congress of the Police of the CR on November 28th 2006
New trust for the Police
It is for the first time I have an opportunity to speak to such a large representation of the police force. I welcome this opportunity to speak to you face to face, not indirectly through my comments regarding the individual cases, which media request. I am not pleased by those things; believe me. They reflect general distrust. They reflect distrust of the general public to politicians. They reflect distrust to policemen. They reflect distrust regarding impartial attitude, hit or miss, to the respective cases.
I want to think shortly about causes of such distrust. I want to think about how to surmount it. And finally, I want to outline my personal attitude to the security issues.
Causes of distrust
General suspiciousness is such strong that media, without consideration, suppose that a new administration will bring its "own" policemen, its own "favourites", who will be backed up at the expense of favourites of the previous government.
I do not want to analyse in great detail the fact that certain members of previous governments were doing a lot to build real bases for such suspiciousness. I rather confess straight away. Yes, I want to have only "my" policemen here. I want to have "my" policemen, who will be incorruptible, impartial, who will not be scared to investigate cases of mighty persons, whether they are from business or political sphere. I want to have "my" policemen who are incorruptible and therefore they do not wait for orders of corrupt politicians; because the distrust is our common disgrace. And we must to stand up jointly for gradual elimination of that distrust. You will contribute to it by your work. I will contribute to it by not to meddle in your affairs. Really, in case somebody asks me whether he can to start investigation of some person, I will send him tumbling down the stairs. I do not mean it frankly, I am dead serious.
It is clear that the distrust is a result of certain strange results, which concerned some cases of those many thousand cases that the Police investigated. I do not hide that I am, as a citizen Mirek Topolánek, very consternated by various matters. However, you must understand that I, as a prime minister, cannot remedy the matter quickly and resolutely. I have no power to do that and it is a comfort it is like this. It must be evident in this country that a prime minister is not any deus ex machina, who would fly down from the sky and who would arrange arrestment of "enemies of the state", "clever Dicks", persons practising asset stripping, or what were all the terms used in the past for those people. I, as conservative man, stick to good old term "criminals". It is a simple term, which everybody understands and it cannot be politically misused.
Surmounting of distrust
To surmount distrust of the general public, which is afraid of interconnection of political and economic interests with the Police is therefore quite simple. We must forget to give bombastic names to political campaigns. We must – you must – according to the paragon of counsellor Vacátko (a character from a detective series), simply chase criminals – regardless colour of their collars or a party membership card. The government and the Ministry of Interior and the Police Presidium will have to prepare conditions. But nothing else. Any unreasonable care of politicians regarding issues of criminal proceedings is prejudicial. I had similar experience as a leader of the opposition and I cannot remember my bad experience now, when I am the prime minister.
I regarded as necessary to express my opinion concerning fears of political abuse of the Police, as it is an area, which I know best. But owing to the exalted situation I feel duty to say something. Of course, trust of the general public consists also of other components, for example detection rate, prevention effectiveness, ability to ensure security for citizens and last but not least relation to citizens. But these issues are rather issues for the Minister of Interior or the Police President and you will certainly discuss them at this congress.
As I have already said, opportunities of the government to meddle in police affairs are limited because of good reasons. However, the government supports all reasonable system changes that lead to better operation of the police force. I mean in particular separation of the existing Inspection of the Ministry of Interior from the ministry. We are also ready to bear full responsibility for fight against terrorism and corruption. But also in this case it is essential that the performance itself is a matter of the Police and the government decides on material, personnel and organizational issues.
Future trust
I will express my general idea on police performance in a democratic legal state. I am not going to pretend that I have found an original solution. In fact, I think that the way started in 1990 is correct. The change in police behaviour, change from the repressive corps to protective corps and gradually growing professional abilities and adaptation to new forms of criminality has brought growing trust to the Police from the side of citizens in 1990´.
That was the way, the common denominator of which was the word "professionalism". Professionalism means for me that a policeman knows what to do and how to do it. Professionalism means that a policeman is reasonable enough not be influenced beyond his professional duties. Professionalism means for me that such a policeman is self-assured enough to be able to admit his mistakes. Professionalism means for me that such a policeman treat citizens as a protector, not as a guardian. Professionalism means for me that such a policeman does not need reproach of politicians to get to know that he must first of all to protect constitutional rights of citizens and not to allow their breaking by his inactivity.
The popularity of the Police was growing until it has been presenting itself like this. This favourable trend got stock a bit during last years. And I really think that it was because of reasons I had mentioned in the introduction. It is not true that policemen do not work on themselves. It is not true that they do not educate themselves and that do not improve their work. It is not true that they have no achievements. But all the effort of tens of thousands people was negated by few policemen who had mistaken service for citizens with service for political power. I adopt completely the legacy of 1990´. It was necessary to depoliticize the communist police in those times and now it is necessary to, after eight years of governments of the CSSD to depoliticize the Czech Police. Those of you, who do not agree, go out. Persons who do not understand it have no place in the police corps.
Trust is difficult to be obtained but easy to be lost. I have similar recent experience, when I had an opportunity to follow professional performance of security forces in the course of liquidation of terrorist threat in Prague. It was work I did not have to interfere with. In spite of this fact only few unprofessional and politically motivated statements in media were enough and your excellent performance was doubted. In such cases, when the police have to face strong attacks of populists, I feel duty to stand up for security force. This is the exception concerning political interference that proves the rule. Otherwise it is true that the best police are such police to the work of which a prime minister need not express his opinion. And the best prime minister is such prime minister who does not do it, if possible.
I will not express my opinion regarding concrete cases. It does not mean I will be silent when the police do not obey their functions. There are two attitudes to the police. The old one, which we do not want, means an effort to influence concrete issues and not to care about general principles of police performance. And then, the attitude that is brought by my government: restraint regarding concrete criminal cases but the reverse is true – consistent care of policemen's performance, of their attitudes to citizens, of their moral credit.
You must realize that you are under continuous control. Not under control of the administration, but under control of citizens and media. In case the police is frequently mentioned, then something is usually wrong. Journalists actually do not praise a lot; I know something about it. Therefore, I wish you to be mentioned less but only in a good context, only in connection with successful results of your work.
And of course, I wish your congress success and thank you for your attention.
