Crime committed by children and juveniles in the Czech Republic rose by one third between 2021 and 2024, said Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN) at a press conference today in South Moravia. Furthermore, suicide is now the second most common cause of death for people under 24 years.
“All surveys show that every crown, every euro invested in prevention pays back,” said Rakusan, adding that the effect of the efforts will be gradual, but are of the highest importance.
He also said it was essential that the topic of mental health is not taboo. “We need to create a system where everyone reaches out for help, and create an atmosphere where no one is afraid to ask for help either,” Rakusan said.
However, he also suggested measures such as the protection of soft targets.
At a meeting of interior ministers of countries in the Salzburg Forum, Rakusan presented the Czech project ‘Safe Childhood’, which envisages a comprehensive, systematic and more unified approach to violence prevention.
“Of course we discussed the tragic events that have befallen not only the Czech Republic but also several other countries in recent years,” he said.
Rakusan said they also discussed how to create prevention programs to train for situations when an active shooter attacks, what warning systems are in place, and how to educate educators as well as children.
Slovenian Interior Minister Bostjan Poklukar recalled the attack by a gunman at Charles University in Prague in December 2023, and the shooting at an Austrian secondary school in Graz in June. He said no country was spared from similar incidents, which was why it was important for countries to share experience and work to make schools safer for students.
Rakusan said there was a need to crack down on domestic violence, and the police must properly assess it and respond appropriately.
“We need to work with the victims, but we also need to work with the perpetrators,” he said, citing statistics that more than 70% of perpetrators of violent crimes have experienced some type of oppressive upbringing, bullying or ostracization at school or in a children’s group.
The Salzburg Forum is a security partnership of nine countries – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
