The SAO audited funds earmarked for the development and renewal of the material-technical base of the Police of the Czech Republic
Press Release – April 16, 2012
The aim of the auditing operation was to scrutinize allocation, drawing, and utilization of the funds earmarked for the development and renewal of the material-technical base of the Police of the Czech Republic. Auditors scrutinized activities of Ministry of Interior, which administered the programmes and the state budget funds, as well as activities of regional police directorates that received the funds.
The audit conclusion states that the Ministry lacks a long-term conception, which would define material needs of the Police. The audited programme that focused on material acquisitions failed to create certain objective, time, and financial terms for ensuring the requirements as it would be modified according to changes to priorities and amounts of financial resources.
During the audited period, the Ministry implemented two programmes aimed at development and renewal of the material-technical base of the Police of the Czech Republic. The first of the programmes started in 2003 and its completion has been gradually postponed till 2013. The required amount of state budget funds was also altered several times. In 2009, the Ministry approved another programme, which was defined with terms and specifications similar to the former one. Both the programmes were implemented and funded at the same time.
Program No. 214 110 has been approved with allocations amounting to CZK 18,898.4 million from the state budget, programme No. 114 110 requires CZK 3,260 million. The auditors scrutinized 23 investment operations with the total value exceeding CZK 3.75 milliard.
When establishing the regional directorates in 2009, the Police did not define their requirements concerning automobiles. At first, the Ministry planned to acquire 3,200 automobiles but later increased the number to 3,500 and attributed the increase to spare funds allocated to programme No. 214 110. Some of the newly purchased automobiles were used at minimum or not used at all.
In spite of the declared emergency state and announced priority of the reconstruction of Hangar D that belongs to Aerial Service of the Police and is located in Prague 6 – Ruzyně, which serves as the main air base of the Police, the reconstruction has not started yet. Previously, the SAO called attention to the urgency of the Hangar’s reconstruction in Audit No. 05/21. (The audit conclusion was published in volume 2/2006 of the SAO Bulletin.) The value of the technology and matters stored in the Hangar exceeds CZK 2.5 milliard.
Audit revealed shortcomings within preparations of six construction programmes that led to additional works worth CZK 21 million, which had not been included in the original investment plan (and increased the price by 19 %). During implementation of one of the programmes, invoices for works worth CZK 11 million were settled in 2006, in spite the works were done as late as in the beginning of 2007.
The auditing operation was performed from May 2011 to January 2012. The audited period extended from 2005 to 2010; where relevant, the preceding period and the period until the completion of the auditing operation were also scrutinized. Among the audited bodies were Ministry of the Interior and six selected regional police directorates. The auditing operation was included into 2011 Audit Plan of the SAO under No. 11/12. Rudolf Němeček, Member of the SAO Board, managed the operation and prepared the audit report as well.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office