Human Smugglers Using Guns in Attempts to Cross Border

One of the biggest challenges for the Hungarian police last year was the fight against the growing and increasingly violent human smuggling gangs, according to a public media program. These groups are now often armed.

Statistics show that in 2022, the number of human smuggling crimes increased by 167 percent, with 1,697 cases under investigation.

The number of illegal migrants has increased by 120 percent,

with 269,254 people crossing the country’s borders last year, according to a public media report on crime.

In the past, smugglers and migrants tended to cut through fences or dig tunnels, but last year they also tried other methods, according to the police officials who spoke on the program. The method is to arrive in small or large groups at the security border from Serbia and throw stones and sticks at the border guards while using ladders to get over the fence a few hundred meters away.

Violence at the border is increasing, with more and more weapons being found, and last year at least 100 shots were heard from Serbia, and 12 warning shots were fired by smugglers in front of police or soldiers. On the Hungarian-Serbian section, violence against police and soldiers increased by 310 percent last year, with 12 police officers and 30 soldiers injured in 485 attacks and 210 vehicles damaged.

Featured photo via Police.hu