Everything is in order with safety on the streets of Prague and other cities: street crimes, gop-stops, rapes, assaults with weapons are extremely rare here compared to Russia and other European countries. This means that you can walk around Prague with expensive equipment and money at night in any part of the city, and nothing will happen to you. And all because there are quite a large number of police officers in the Czech Republic, and city streets and public transport are littered with cameras, and if something happens, the police arrive in a couple of minutes. In addition, especially on holidays, a lot of police officers patrol the city (including the residential sector) in cars, horses and even segways.
The city police (Městská policie) is responsible for the prevention of street crimes and safety on the streets of Czech cities. There are currently 2,500 officers in the Prague City Police, with a total of 39,500 police officers in the Czech Republic. All policemen are in excellent sportswear, are engaged in hand-to-hand combat, have weapons and special equipment with them. In case of disobedience to the police, a person is immediately detained.
In addition to the city police, the police include various departments: the customs department, the department for the execution of sentences in prisons, the unit responsible for protecting the President of the Czech Republic, the internal security service, the rapid deployment group, and others. The President of the Czech Police manages the entire police force.
An important aspect related to safety on the streets is the intolerance of the Czechs themselves towards criminals, arrogant people who have come in large numbers and people who do not respect the laws. Also, the Czechs are very responsive people, if something happens to you, they are always ready to help to the best of their ability.
In addition, I want to warn you that in the Czech Republic you need to behave in a civilized manner, not to shout any slogans, not to get into fights. If you are in a tipsy state, then you do not need to pretend to be cool and swear at everyone. Russian obscenities and insults are quite well understood in Prague, and you can get in trouble for such uncivilized behavior.
A little information about the murders. According to statistics in the Czech Republic, murders are very rare, most often domestic murders are committed. For example, there are 0.9 murders per year in the Czech Republic per 100,000 inhabitants; in Russia this figure is 9; in the USA 3.8; in South Africa 31!
By mortality rate From firearms, the Czech Republic is also very far away, per 100,000 inhabitants per year 2 deaths from weapons, in the USA this figure is 10, and of these two deaths in the Czech Republic, 75% are suicides.
pickpocketing
The main scourge of the tourist center of Prague, railway stations and trains, public transport is pickpocketing. There are a lot of pickpockets and gypsies in Prague who strive to pull out your documents, money, mobile phones or expensive equipment. When going out for a walk, being in a restaurant or using public transport, be careful and adhere to the following rules:
Carry your wallet and documents only in zippered inner pockets.
Do not carry large sums of money with you.
Always have your bank’s phone number with you so that in case of theft, you can quickly call and block the card.
When walking, turn the bag forward so that it does not dangle from the back. Pack large, inexpensive items in your backpack. If you need to get something out of a bag or backpack, do not put it on the floor, they can easily snatch it and run away, but rather hold it with one hand and take out the right thing with the other.
Cell phone, camera put in hard-to-reach places.
Safety in a restaurant or cafe. Never leave outerwear containing valuables on a hanger! If you are sitting in an outdoor cafe, do not put your bag in a visible place, it is better to pass one of the straps of the bag or backpack through the leg of the chair you are sitting on so that it does not get torn out of you.
Swindlers on the streets
In tourist areas, you may run into people who want to help you. For example, they want to give directions, sell marijuana, prostitutes, or exchange money profitably. Be careful, most of these are scammers. Instead of hemp, they can sell tea, instead of a prostitute, they simply rob you, and when exchanging money, Hungarian Forints can be slipped instead of Czech Crowns. Therefore, change money only in trusted exchangers, buy excursions only at sales offices from reliable companies, and use the services of night butterflies only in special establishments. There are also scammers among the waiters who can add an extra dish or drinks to the bill, know that you should not pay for something that you did not eat or drink.
Car theft and road safety
If you are traveling by car, then be careful, I and many of my friends paid with valuables because they did not follow the safety rules when traveling by car. In Europe and the Czech Republic, travelers’ cars are often robbed because tourists carry valuable things with them in the form of a camera, laptop, phone, documents that can be sold on the black market, and money. Therefore, always leave your car only in paid guarded parking lots. Keep in mind that supermarket parking lots often don’t have security cameras, so if you need to go grocery shopping, have someone stay in the car. If you go for a walk, then take at least the documents and all the electronics with you.
Things are pretty good with road safety in the Czech Republic: traffic rules are practically not violated here, the roads are well maintained, gangs of thugs who rob motorists do not rush around the country, and the police honestly do their duty. Therefore, traveling around the Czech Republic by car is safe and enjoyable. The most dangerous thing on the roads of the Czech Republic is ice on mountain roads in the winter season, because. these roads do not have time to clean up, and the Czechs and Europeans drive on snow and ice very badly and dangerously. In general, on mountainous narrow roads, you must always observe the speed limit and do not exceed the speed limit.
If you are in the Czech Republic as a pedestrian, then I warn you that you need to be especially careful at pedestrian crossings and on roads, especially at night. Here they often give way to pedestrians, but not always, and trams generally always have an advantage over pedestrians, and since they drive silently, you need to be very careful when crossing the road, because you don’t want to fall under a 40-ton iron colossus.
Emergency numbers in the Czech Republic
If suddenly you have a problem and you need to call an ambulance, police and fire department, then use one of the short numbers to call the emergency service:
112 – Single European emergency number
150 – Fire and rescue service.
155 – An ambulance that provides emergency medical care and takes you to the hospital if necessary. You just need to always have an identity card and insurance with you.
158 – Police of the Czech Republic.
156 – City police, deals with theft, petty crimes, this should be call if you did not find your car, it may just have been towed for improper parking. If you have a trouble in the very center of Prague, then I advise you to contact the police office at: Jungmannovo nám. 771/9, in this department they speak Russian and English.