The first time I visited Tesco in Novy Smichov, by a ‘coincidence’, I found myself in the check out queue with a police officer and a Roman Basta M2C security guard behind me. The second time I visited there a couple of days later, by another coincidence, again an M2C security guard joined my queue behind me. Over the next 2 or 3 years, I would visit Tescos there once or twice a week. On each occasion, one of the (usually) two Bohemia Marten Security guards who patrol up and down the long row of (about 15) check out tills would (coincidentally) make a point of standing watching my queue as I got near the checkout till, then walk off smirking as soon as I’d paid for my goods and left the queue. This would happen at least 7 or 8 times out of every 10 visits. Some security guards in particular would do it more than others. Often they would theatrically crane their necks to ‘look past me’. After a year or two of this, I asked one of the guards why he was doing it, to which he told me (laughing) that it was ‘paranoia’ on my part, and that he was ‘looking at everybody’. I then sent a complaint to Tesco and Bohemia Marten Security. Tesco never replied, nor to other complaints, but one Peter Klima of Bohemia Marten Security did reply (in Czech). Bizarrely, he first at length clearly explains to me why I’m being ‘paranoid’, then makes the claim that the police keeping somebody under surveillance is a good thing. Of course, there is a difference between keeping an individual under industrial scale surveillance for the protection of the public, and keeping somebody with paranoid schizophrenia under industrial surveillance (more than that reserved for ISIS members and the like), while at the same time deliberately misleading him that he is NOT being kept under surveillance and that it is a delusion on his part, in order to cause him extreme psychological suffering. This is illegal according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, and as the Czech Republic is a post-medieval society and has ratified that treaty, has presumably codified it into its laws. The UK did so in 1988, and under the Criminal Justice Act of 1988, a public official such as a police officer guilty of psychological torture is liable to life term imprisonment.
Dear Mr. XXX,
Thank you very much for your response.
I certainly understand what you are writing, but I also wrote to you that if you require a personal meeting, we can meet and discuss everything over coffee in peace.
I understand that nowadays it may seem to you that not only your person, but also everyone around us is constantly monitored, and to a certain extent at the legal level, this may be the case on the part of states. However, retail chains certainly have neither the interest nor the capacity to monitor their customers after they leave their premises. In addition, specifically in the TESCO chain, smailing guards are preferred. The guard is here mainly for the safety of customers and employees of the company and, last but not least, for the protection of the client’s property, both on the basis of security and, for example, preventive fire patrols and the like. She is not in the power or task of security to monitor a specific customer when visiting the store.
It is also necessary to take into account that the guard is also a man and the guard is his job and after work he returns home to his family and his children and believe that this work is not valued as the guard would like for himself and his family and therefore, I think it is completely unlikely that a guard would involve something like approval for one particular customer in his work.
As you mentioned in previous emails, you have these feelings in multiple chains and in several states. You blame the police of the Czech Republic and other states for attacks on your person and targeted surveillance by other security agencies.
Since I am Czech, I can say that everything from the Czech Republic may not always be correct, but I am glad that the Police of the Czech Republic and probably in the UK are and take care of public order, otherwise we would have long since lost the values of the civilized world.Once again I offer you a possible meeting and I wish you a beautiful day
In the last year or so I have only visited that Tesco maybe twice, and usually get my groceries delivered at home. Note that throughout this time, the same thing happened (with the Bohemia Marten Security guards) whenever I visited the Tesco in Narodni Trida. The behaviour is not limited either to the securty guards, but also the staff. For example, at Novy Smichov, the male line manager would again, make the point of standing watching me when I was at the self-service till, theatrically ‘look past me’ whenever I glanced up at him, and then walk away smirking the moment I finished and left. At the Tesco at Narodni Trida, a middle-aged female, who may be the manager there, once made a theatrical puzzled, ‘not sure if I recognize you’ look at me, then started laughing.
(original Czech message) :
Vážený pane xxx,
Velice Vám děkuji za reakci.
To co píšete jistě chápu, ale také jsem Vám psal, že pokud požadujete osobní schůzku, tak se můžeme potkat a vše u kávy v klidu probrat.
Chápu, že v dnešní době Vám může připadat, že ne jenom Vaše osoba, ale i všichni okolo jsme neustále sledováni a do jisté míry na zákonné úrovni to tak ze strany států možná i je. Nicméně obchodní řetězce jistě nemají ani zájem a ani kapacitu na to, aby sledovaly své zákazníky po tom co opustí jejich prostory. Navíc konkrétně v řetězci TESCO se preferuje ostraha smailing guard . Strážný je zde hlavně pro pocit bezpečí zákazníků a zaměstnanců společnosti a v neposlední řadě také k ochraně majetku klienta a to jak na bázi ostrahy, tak i například preventivních požárních hlídek a podobně. Není v silách a ani v náplni práce ostrahy, aby sledovala konkrétního zákazníka při jeho navštěvě na prodejně.
Je potřeba brát také na zřetel to, že i strážný je člověk a ostraha je jeho zaměstnání a po práci se vrací domů ke své rodině a svým dětem a věřte, že tato práce není ohodnocena tak jak by si strážný přál pro sebe a svoji rodinu a proto si myslím, že je zcela nepravděpodobné, že by strážný do své práce zatahoval něco jako schválnost vůči jednomu konkrétnímu zákazníkovi.
Jak sám uvádíte v předešlých emailech máte tyto pocity ve více řetězcích a v několika státech. Sám obviňujete policii ČR i jiných států z útoků na Vaši osobu a cíleného sledování i od jiných Bezpečnostních agentur.
Já jelikož jsem Čech, tak mohu říci, že ne vždy je vše od PČR možná korektní, ale jsem rád, že Policie České republiky a asi i v UK je a stará se o veřejný pořádek jinak by jsme již dávno ztratili hodnoty civilizovaného světa.
Ještě jednou Vám nabízím možnou schůzku a přeji Vám krásný den
S pozdravem
Klíma Petr
provozní ředitel
BOHEMIA MARTEN SECURITY, s.r.o.
K Vltavě 21/8, Praha – Modřany