Minister: almost 100,000 crimes happened in Hungary in 2021

Hungary’s authorities controlled by the interior ministry have been under “enormous pressure” in the recent period due to the coronavirus pandemic and illegal migration, but have performed their tasks “with remarkable success”, Interior Minister Sándor Pintér said at an annual hearing before parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee on Thursday.

Hungarians are satisfied with the performance of the bodies operated by the ministry, he said. Citing a survey, the minister said that on a 1-5 scale, 33 percent of Hungarians rated the work of the national police force a 5, with just 11 percent giving it a 2 or a 1 rating

The authorities registered less than 100,000 crimes over the last nine months and almost

80 percent of criminal cases were solved,

“something few other European countries can say about themselves”, he said. Public safety has improved and police are more devoted to their work and more successful, he added. Turning to migration, Pintér said a total of 101,000 migrants had attempted to enter Hungary illegally so far this year, the highest figure recorded since 2015 when 391,000 attempted to enter. More than 700 human smugglers were also apprehended this year, he added.

The ministry has several plans for strengthening the protection of Hungary’s borders, including “expanding the possibility for armed border protection”, he said. On another subject, he said those rescued from Afghanistan were being cared for and that the ministry

would be working with the churches on aiding the integration of those who want to settle in Hungary.