Surprising details emerged about the Chinese police officers serving in Hungary
The Hungarian interior minister shared new details about the powers the Orbán government plans to grant the Chinese police officers serving in Hungary.
Chinese police officers in Hungary
According to 24.hu, Bence Tordai, a lawmaker of Párbeszéd – Dialogue for Hungary, a Hungarian micro party, submitted the relevant questions about the future powers of the Chinese police officers in Hungary. The Hungarian government agreed to invite police officers from China to serve in Hungary in February with China’s national security minister.
Bence Rétvári, the government’s secretary responsible for interior affairs, answered Tordai’s question. He said the Chinese police officers will not have power of action in Hungary. Nor will they have police powers in the country. Furthermore, they must not patrol alone, only with a Hungarian partner.
According to economx.hu, an officer from China cannot demand anybody’s papers. They added that Hungarian police officers regularly serve in Croatia during the summers (helping the Hungarian tourists there). Moreover, Austrian police officers also served at Lake Balaton to help Austrian and German tourists. Austrian police officers came, and Hungarian colleagues went to Croatia after bilateral agreements.
Chinese intervention in Hungary’s grand surveillance program?
Rétvári added that officers from China would be able to help their Hungarian colleagues overcome the language barrier with Chinese nationals. They will also help protect the interests of tourists coming from China to Hungary.
Tordai also asked the government about possible cooperation with the Chinese in establishing the interior ministry’s central surveillance system called “Szitakötő” (dragonfly). The system will be able to detect in seconds any wanted vehicles or persons if they are in the field of vision of any single camera of the system. According to the plans, the Hungarian government aims to set up 35,000 cameras. According to a 2019 article, the costs might reach HUF 40 billion (EUR 100 million). Rétvári said China did not contribute to creating the system.
Secret Chinese police stations in Budapest?
We wrote about a so-called Chinese police service centre operating in Budapest in 2022. NGO Safeguard Defenders found that the government of China established 54 illegal police stations in 21 countries. They call them police service centres, and most of them are in Europe. According to the list, one is in Budapest, and an opposition MP tried to find out more about the venue. Read the story in THIS article.
Read also:
- China, Hungary to conduct joint patrols – Read more HERE
- Appalling? Chinese police officers to soon patrol in Hungary – Details in THIS article
Featured image: depositphotos.com
Missing (and not asked of course ) is the likelihood that the Chinese police will speak Hungarian. Of course we can be pretty sure that the Hungarian patrollers will not speak Chinese. So the Chinese will in effect be in charge.