The level of Hungary’s public safety remained high throughout 2015 despite an unprecedented migration pressure, police chief Károly Papp told a press conference. The biggest challenge police faced in 2015 was dealing with the migrant crisis, Papp said, adding that police were successful in managing the situation.
Papp pointed out that a September survey by the Nézőpont Institute indicated that 78% of Hungarians were satisfied with the police’s management of the crisis. Papp said police registered a total of 267,628 crimes in 2015, down by 13.5% from the previous year. The rate of solved criminal cases came to 54.8%, up from 51.4% in 2014. Most crimes were committed in the capital, he added. The number of murders, assaults, thefts, car thefts, burglaries and robberies was down from the previous year while the number of human smuggling cases increased.
Hungarian Police registered a total of 55,285 crimes committed in public areas, down by 13.5% from 2014. Fully 20.7% of the total number of crimes were committed in public areas. A total of 91,866 criminals were registered last year, down by 4.6% from 2014, but the number of juvenile offenders increased from 24 to 38. Police registered 183,401 victims, down from 214,533 in 2014. Police arrested 7,417 people in 2015, 3,723 of whom were placed in pre-trial detention.
Concerning illegal migration, Papp said 391,000 people entered Hungary illegally last year from 106 countries of origin. Most illegal entrants claimed to be Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, Kosovar or Pakistani nationals. Regarding the goals set out for 2016, Papp said police will be aiming to increase citizens’ sense of safety by cracking down more aggressively on car thefts and burglaries, continuing to protect Hungary’s Schengen borders and improving traffic safety.
via hungarymatters.hu and MTI photo: Zoltán Máthé – MTI