Czech Republic sends 29 police to Greece over migrant crisis

Twenty-nine Czech police officers Friday took off from a military airport in Prague Kbely for the Greek island of Lesbos to help tackle the migrant crisis.

They will join the program of the European border agency Frontex to return refugees to Turkey, said Czech police president Tomas Tuhy.

Tuhy said the police went to Greece with a mission as agreed by both countries. The Czech Republic wants to support the states in tackling the migrant crisis along the southern border of the external Schengen Area.

According to Tuhy, the Czech policemen will not wear uniforms but serve in civilian clothes without carrying fire arms. They will only be equipped with handcuffs, tear gas and telescopic truncheons.

The policemen will cooperate with the police officers from other EU member states. The cost of this foreign mission will be co-financed by the Czech Republic and the EU.

Tuhy said the Czech police are ready to render more help to Greece and will send more assistance to the country if the two countries reach an agreement on this issue.

The Czech police have about 400 officers in the reserve unit of which the members could be sent for foreign missions.

There are already ten Czech police officers working on the Greek island of Kos. They are involved mainly in checks and the registration of refugees.