The Police Are Really at Home on the Vltava

The time when the Prague public really became aware of officers of the River Division of Prague City Police was at the end of 2006, when someone vandalised the statue of the Crucifixion on Charles Bridge, and the River Police and their colleagues from the Czech Police searched the river for fragments of the text.

Majda was the first

Thanks to their efforts part of the damaged text was found. By that time the River Division had already been in service for three years. It officially came into existence on 4th June 2003 when the City Police christened their boat, Majda, on Císařská Louka island. This first boat, worth 650,000 CZK, was a gift from a supplier of small craft. The River Police also had several rafts at that time.

The flood was the last straw

“The new division will mainly serve in patrolling the river banks, and will probably also appear on the reservoirs of Hostivař and Džbán,” said the Head of the City Police at that time, Vladimír Kotrouš. Important functions of the River Police were to include protection against illegal dumping on the river banks, supervision of shipping regulations and patrolling the banks, especially the moorings to deter theft from moored boats. The activities of the River Police have also extended to rescue work. “It was mainly the flood of 2002 that really persuaded us of the necessity to establish the River Division. In those days we had to borrow boats and rafts,” said Kotrouš.

First intervention at Charles Bridge

The first intervention by the River Police was to check a boat that was moored at Charles Bridge. It happened just a few days after Majda was christened. On the basis of a phone-call the officers went to check out a boat from which an examination of Charles Bridge was being carried out prior to the renovation work. At that time the division was based in rented premises on Císařská Louka Island. “By then the Police Officers were fully trained, each of them had a life-saving qualification, a small-boat skipper’s licence and a diving certificate,” said Kotrouš. For most of the officers diving was also a hobby.

Based in Lahovice

In August 2006 the River Police got the use of a new building in Lahovice, which the City bought from its previous owner after the flood of 2002. Lahovice was completely devastated by the flood, buildings were flooded up to first floor level, smaller buildings up to the roofs. The new building became the headquarters of the River Division and it houses an operational centre for the River Division. The anchorage for the expanding River Division flotilla (two new boats including one with a hinged bow for rescuing people from the river) remained at Císařská Louka.

Twenty officers on duty

In 2006 the number of River Police also increased with the addition of a further ten experienced officers. The range of their duties also increased – supervising river traffic on the Vltava, boats sailing dangerously close to weirs beyond the marker buoys. They also inspected campsites, checked for littering on riverbanks and all other bodies of water (not only the Vltava). Their work also extended to illegal fishing, so they also began watching fish farms. The River Division now has a total of 20 members. There are always 12 officers on duty at any time, of which 8 are qualified divers and life-savers.

Divers in action

At the turn of 2006/2007 the statue of the Crucifixion on Charles Bridge was vandalised. Divers from the River Division began searching for the metal lettering, which experts believed had fallen into the river. They were assisted by divers from the national force and eventually managed to find at least part of the lettering. The work of the River Division divers continued. Finally, in 2007, they were successful in recovering several unique pieces which had eluded the previous diving expedition beneath Charles Bridge.

A hovercraft, not only for floods

In May 2007 the City Police received a hovercraft which has a 110hp engine and is able to carry a load of 500kg. “It’s intended for rescuing people during floods, people falling through ice and other crisis situations in difficult terrain,” explained Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blažek during a demonstration.

For example, from the River Division base at Císařská Louka the hovercraft can get to Trója in under ten minutes, as it can easily get over all the weirs. At the biggest weir at Štvanice it uses the salmon ladder. Four River Police officers know how to drive the hovercraft. It can also serve the fire and ambulance services and other elements of the integrated emergency service system in Prague, and of course is involved in the supervision of various events on the river, from boat races to concerts etc.