President Sulyok hails Hungary’s border protections

Hungarians can sleep safely knowing that “our borders are protected by well-prepared” police and border guards, President Tamás Sulyok told journalists on Tuesday after visiting the Hungarian-Romanian and Hungarian-Serbian borders.

Exercising controls over people entering Hungarian territory plays a part in protecting “our constitutional order”, Sulyok said, praising the “dedicated work” of law enforcement working day in, day out”. Those protecting the border had exactly the right equipment necessary to carry out their professional duties, he added.

Local police chiefs briefed the president on changes made at the Nagylak border police station after Romania’s accession to the Schengen area. Cooperation with their Romanian counterparts, they told him, was “exemplary”. At Röszke, around 300 personnel are involved in protecting the 61 km Serbian-Hungarian border section assisted by Austrian and Turkish police, while equipment used includes thermal cameras with a range of 8-10 kms, and 200 cameras are installed along the border fence, supported by drone units. In addition, there are boat patrols along the River Tisza. The president was told that human smugglers had tried to dig tunnels, climb ladders and taken illegal migrants across the River Tisza. Others tried to cut through the border fence. Also, there were constant attacks on border guards, a local police chief said.

Sulyok was also briefed on “good relations” with the Serbian authorities and plans to introduce one-stop checks that already exist at smaller crossings, which means there would be no need to build new crossings but use existing infrastructure more efficiently.

read also:

Huge construction project begins on Hungary’s southern border

Minister Szijjártó: More Hungary-Romania border crossings planned, closer energy cooperation