The Interior Ministry has deemed the 30-day public safety operation in Budapest a success, the ministry said on Monday. The operation was launched in mid-July after reports from local government leaders and residents, with police involvement.
Budapest public safety operation ‘a success’
The operation’s results suggest that Budapest’s public safety issues have complex roots, meaning law enforcement measures alone cannot resolve them, according to the ministry’s statement. The underlying social and health-care challenges require the involvement of affected areas and experts, making information-sharing critical so that all stakeholders can take effective action in their fields, it added.
The ministry noted that the 30-day intervention significantly improved the situation and provided valuable experience for developing long-term, sustainable solutions. Key elements of these solutions include continued enhanced police presence at 19 locations across the capital and mobile police patrols at nearly 100 sites, the statement said.
During the operation, 154 people were detained, 118 were taken into custody, 80 misdemeanour reports and 72 criminal complaints were filed, and 154 on-the-spot fines were issued. So far, 1,600 police officers have worked 11,000 service hours across 97 locations as part of the programme.
A meeting on Monday was attended by Gabor Posfai, the interior minister, Gergely Karacsony, Budapest’s mayor, Norbert Baricska, Budapest’s police chief, and Kriszta Bodis, the government commissioner for national social policy.
The operation was launched after several local leaders, including district mayors, reported a significant deterioration in public safety in parts of the capital, particularly linked to drug use.
Civil guard from outside capital helping to boost Budapest public safety
Civil guard patrols from outside the capital are serving in Budapest from the first week of August until the third week of September on weekends as part of a programme launched last week by the National Civil Guard Association, the association said on Monday.
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The initiative, dubbed One Day for Budapest’s Public Safety, aims to strengthen the capital’s public safety and improve the sense of security for residents and visitors through the visible, coordinated and preventive presence of civil guard patrols, the statement said.
In the first phase, between Aug 7 and 20, guest civil guards are patrolling with their local counterparts at sites designated by the police, primarily in the outer districts. From Aug 21 to Sept 20, they will participate in joint actions alongside police officers. On the first weekend, a total of 23 civil guards from Bács-Kiskun, Fejér, Heves, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Nógrád, and Pest counties performed duties in the capital.
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