Joint police, army patrols to end although terror alert remains unchanged

Joint patrols of soldiers and police will end, the government decided on Monday. The joint patrols were introduced in the immediate aftermath of the Brussels terrorist attacks on March 22. Stepped up police surveillance will continue with the security alert remaining at the post-Brussels level of one, defense minister Martin Stropnický said. The joint patrols have come under fire from the centre-right opposition party, the Civic Democrats, as excessive. A video of how police and soldiers used excessive force on a Prague citizen who refused to hand over identity documents also stirred criticism of the patrols.

Author: Chris Johnstone