Final Word from Monday, October 13, 2003
The Oxford English Dictionary defines "police state" as "a state regulated by means of a national police force having secret supervision and control of the activities of citizens." When ODS argues that the CR is turning into a police state, it's exaggerating. Law-abiding Czechs have little reason to fear they'll be spied on or persecuted by the police. ODS is right, though, when it argues that ostentatious demonstrations of police force by Interior Minister Stanislav Gross serve primarily a political purpose and catch only the small fish. Czechs don't need to fear the police, but they also can't rely on them. There's a perception that the police - from the top down - are more interested in earning a quick crown and in avoiding too much work than they are in wiping out crime. Gross's recent crackdowns merely highlight how little the police are doing on a day-to-day basis.