Worried citizens in certain localities in Prague have come together to share their concern over the number of drug users in their once-peaceful areas.
Inhabitants, especially in Prague 5, claim that large groups of drug users gather around contact centres, and they have now demanded change.
The citizens’ petition, and the joint declaration of several city districts, has been created to insist that these services are instead spread throughout Prague.
The council has now complied with the concerned locals and approved a resolution according to which the municipality should start working on the decentralization of these services and increase the budget for cleaning and guarding critical areas.
The most affected areas include the vicinity of Anděl, near the U Zvonu tram stop in Prague 5 and around Mahenova Street, where locals have even documented cases where drug addicts stab themselves in the middle of the street.
A petition “For a safe and clean Prague 5” has been created, which has been signed by hundreds of concerned locals.
“I sign because I do not like this situation, I have a daughter of 10 years old and she has found a syringe several times, people have shouted at her several times and she has witnessed junkies several times during the application,” said one of the first signatures of the petition on the Internet.
Many others describe similar experiences, often writing that they do not feel completely safe outside.
The Mayor of Prague 5, Renáta Zajíčková (ODS), has repeatedly criticized the municipality’s inaction in resolving the issue of low threshold centres.
Finally, after a long discussion, the council adopted a resolution that should prepare an idea for solving the problem.
The capital council is now to prepare a concept and timetable for expanding the network of addictology services for 2022-2024 and to develop a methodology for deploying these facilities by the end of June next year.
“I believe that, based on the resolution of the City Council, the ice has finally broken and the situation, especially of residents, seniors, or families with children who have a long-term reduced quality of housing, will soon and especially noticeably improve,” Zajíčková said.
In addition, the resolution requires the municipality to increase funding for City Police, cleaning, and security in critical areas.
Now other mayors in Prague have signed a declaration which requires a decentralization of services for drug addicts.
Among other things, they want to be able to expel from their territory people who repeatedly commit offenses.
