Making sure you are safe during your few months living in Prague is essential. Many things can be arranged in advance, and much of the administration can be completed before you even set foot in the Czech Republic, but accidents happen. It’s essential to know what to do, who to call, and how Prague's police and emergency system work to be safe.
Emergency Numbers in Prague
Like the rest of the Czech Republic and the European Union, Prague has one emergency number that will connect you to all emergency services anywhere from Portugal to the Baltic states – 112. This number will connect you with an operator who will ask you questions about your emergency. Once you explain what’s going on, the operator will either put you through the emergency service directly, or they will contact them for you.
The emergency services covered by 112 are the police, the fire department, and emergency medical services. It is recommended to speak as calmly and directly as possible, answering all questions put to you by the operator. The response times in Prague are excellent. For example, the average ambulance response time in Prague is between seven and eight minutes.
Prague has numbers that connect you directly to the individual departments: 158 – Police, 156 – Municipal Police, 150 – Fire Department, and 155 – Medical Emergency Services.
In a road accident, you can phone 1240, which will connect you to road traffic assistance. Every couple of kilometres on every highway, you should also be able to find a phone which will connect you to UAMK, the road traffic assistance.
The police system in Prague
The police system in the Czech Republic and Prague will be familiar to most Europeans. The Police are split between two general branches, both under the minister's administration for internal affairs, the standard police and the municipal police.
While the police do most of what is thought to be police work – such as protecting politicians and investigating the crime – the municipal police are more on the ground level, dealing with minor infractions and everyday policing.
In Prague, you will deal with roadside police and the city police most of the time. The roadside police are responsible for keeping order on the roads, while the city police will deal with all kinds of minor infractions like too much noise after 10 pm, jaywalking and so on.
If you come from the US, you may have a very different idea of the police. In Prague, the police are much less likely to use force, especially in less serious cases. However, most police officers still expect politeness and respect, and your day can become very unpleasant if you are rude to them.
Lastly, though all police stations are required by law to provide an interpreter for you, the reality is that only a few police stations have an in-house interpreter on hand.
Most of the time, they will only start looking for one when you ask for it, making the already lengthy proceedings drag even further. However, the station on Jungmannovo Náměstí 9 is known for having an in-house interpreter, so if you can, go there.
