The Prague police chief, Pavel Hofman, said that he considers the level of urban insecurity in Prague today similar to that in West European cities like Vienna and Munich. "You can't compare the situation to that under the totalitarian regime," he said. "Those times will never return."

The most prevalent street crime is pickpocketing. Violent muggings are still rare. Police Blame Gypsies

Echoing a widely held opinion among residents of Prague, Mr. Hofman said official statistics show that 80 to 85 percent of street crimes are committed by gypsies.

Such information has fed already widespread prejudice, as well as growing physical attacks against gypsies. Gypsy organizations, protesting discrimination against the large number of gypsies well-integrated into Czechoslovak society, say that such crimes are committed by only a small number of gypsies who are repeat offenders, mainly recent arrivals from the poorer eastern part of the country.

The police themselves have come under sharp criticism for being unable to deal with rising crime. Igor Klimovic, Prague's top official in charge of internal security matters, said the police have traditionally not been equipped to deal with the security problems of a modern Western society.

"Before the Velvet Revolution, their main task was to prevent people from opposing the Government," he said. Private Security Hired

Prague and other cities have responded by hiring private security companies to provide uniformed guards, armed with clubs, to handle certain police work. Among those hired in Prague are 60 private agents from the Pinkerton Security Service, the American company. They patrol Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square, supervising the activities of the street vendors there.