School police officers will be on duty in schools that are especially endangered by criminal elements – said Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér at a press conference in Budapest after the first meeting of the National Committee for Crime Prevention. Minister Pintér said that police officers would also participate in schoolwork as members of the teaching faculty.

The Minister of Interior added that public security must be raised to a new level: the emphasis in crime prevention should be put on practical work based on theoretical research. The work of the National Accident Prevention Committee may be mentioned as a good example for using the proper strategy and producing results – he added.

Minister Pintér said that the work of the police is not enough to achieve the required results; the contribution of the Ministry of Interior, other ministries and NGOs as well as of schools and families is also essential.

Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics explained that the National Committee for Crime Prevention must be innovative and must represent a professionally high standard. The strategies set out by the committee will hopefully prevent as many people as possible from committing crimes – Minister Navracsics added.

According to the Minister of Public Administration and Justice, crime prevention was a long-neglected and only formally managed field of public life, but since the turn of the millennium people are facing more dangerous and challenging situations than before. Crime prevention is the cheapest method of combating crime, since if someone can be prevented from committing a crime it means no further expense for the jurisdiction or prison service, he added.

József Hatala, President of the Committee, emphasized that they would like to apply new solutions. They would also like to specify the target groups that can be prevented from becoming criminals or victims with the help of preventive work. Mr Hatala also added that the goal is to decrease the number of criminal act in Hungary by as much as possible.

(Ministry of Interior)