Major raid in Budapest’s party district: increased police presence and focus

The State Secretary of the Interior Ministry has announced that police are intensifying night and weekend patrols and raids to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in Budapest’s party district.

Constant police presence and raids in Budapest’s party district

Police presence in Budapest’s party district will be increased during weekends and nights, as this is when public security requires the most reinforcement, Bence Rétvári stated in a written response to Lajos Oláh MEP.

The State Secretary explained that the party district covers an area of approximately one square kilometre, including Budapest’s V. district, Erzsébet tér/Deák tér, Széchenyi István tér, Budapest’s VI. district, Király utca, Nagymező utca, Budapest’s VII. district, Rákóczi út between Blaha Lujza tér and Király utca, and the Nagykörút from Blaha Lujza tér to Jászai Mari tér. He added that in Inner-Erzsébetváros alone, 32 police officers patrol on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with 58 officers patrolling on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

This is supplemented by one major monthly criminal and law enforcement operation by the BRFK, involving an average of 100-150 police officers and associated services.

Rétvári noted that both experience and statistics indicate a greater need to strengthen public safety at night.

Government decree and municipal measures

In May, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appointed two ministers to devise a strategy to improve public security in Inner-Erzsébetváros over the coming months. The effects of this strategy are now expected to be felt in the neighbourhood. The government decree on “Tasks Related to Improving the Public Safety Situation in Inner-Erzsébetváros” underscores the importance of the area for tourism and the need for government intervention. The decree also highlights the Gozsdu Udvar (Courtyard) and the events held in its vicinity. Further details can be found here: Popular Budapest party district to be ‘cleaned up’ by the government

The situation in Budapest’s party district has been a matter of serious debate for several years due to the increasingly unsustainable tourism sector and particularly the behaviour of foreign tourists.

In 2020, the municipality began to address the situation by limiting the opening of nightclubs in the party district to special occasions and regulating the total number of catering establishments permitted to hold such licences simultaneously. Further details are available here: What about Budapest’s party district? New rules come into force