Presentation of Hungarian National Strategy

Extracts from the introduction

Social defence mechanisms against crime are in need of reform

Crime in Hungary has risen explosively since the political transition. Most revealed crimes directly injure the material or personal security of the public, and have an adverse effect on quality of life. The mounting problem has not been met by a commensurate development of society’s and citizens’ self-defence mechanisms. In West European states, crime prevention strategies and associated action plans are yielding substantial improvements in public security. Hungary’s crime prevention system, in operation since 1995, and amended several times since then, must be changed to meet the requirements pertaining to European Union member states and the recommendations of the Council of Europe, and in such a way that it integrates into the protection mechanisms of Hungarian society.


Crime prevention cannot be implemented solely via the criminal investigation / law enforcement and criminal justice services

Good public security cannot be achieved solely by the traditional law enforcement and criminal justice services, with their many guarantees. Raising the performance of law enforcement and the effectiveness of the criminal justice service does improve public security, but there is also a need for programmes and techniques that encourage and mobilise society to raise the self-defence capabilities of large and small communities, institutions, economic actors and citizens, and enhance their protection against crime. The social crime prevention strategy thus takes is place in social policy alongside the law enforcement and the criminal justice services.


Establishing public security to improve the quality of life, reducing crime

Modern social crime prevention strategy entails is a professional and civil movement, governed and supported by the state, which enhances the self-defence capabilities of society. It is a set of objectives to curb the effect of the underlying causes of crime, reduce the risk of becoming a victim, raise the security of the community as a whole, and thus improve the quality of life and the satisfaction of human rights. The social crime prevention strategy thus contributes to economic development, the secure operation of the market, and the reduction of moral and material damage caused by crime. Expenditure on crime prevention measures must be regarded as an investment whose return is the perceptible improvement of public security. 

Cooperation and cooperating parties in social crime prevention 

It is the task of the state, and above all the Government, to put in place the fundamental legislative, organisational and technical conditions for crime prevention as an integral part of social policy. This demands responsible cooperation among ministries on an equal-rank basis, firmly rooted in academic and professional interests and values, for which appropriate organisational conditions will be required. The social crime prevention strategy will be effective if implemented as part of local social policy. Locally-effective responses to the challenges of crime at the regional, small-region and settlement level must be found. To implement fruitful crime prevention that encourages and mobilises society in differentiated ways, the Government, local authorities, central authorities, local public administration and local institutions must constantly cooperate with non-governmental organisations, churches, actors in business and economic life, and small communities of citizens. The crime prevention system must be open and receptive to initiatives from academic, professional and civil sources. The government must ensure that crime-related data, the findings of scientific research and training opportunities are all made available for the operation of the system. 

Presentations of the Hungarian National Strategy 

- by Dr. Katalin Gonczol (in pdf) and Dr. Klára Kerezsi (in pdf) 

Hungarian National Strategy for Community Crime Prevention (in pdf) (full document)

Ministry of Justice, Hungary