The role of police in community crime prevention

1. The role of police in community crime prevention Transforming Hungarian policing into knowledge-based policing

2. Community Crime Prevention • Community Crime Prevention (later: CCP) is a professionally committed social movement aiming at achieving a better public order by • curbing consequences of underlying crime causes • reducing risk of victimisation • diminishing incidence of offending • CCP clusters professional and civil agents of crime prevention • National Crime Prevention Board is CCP headquarter • National Strategy of Community Crime Prevention is in force from November 2003

3. Public Order – a socially devoted approach • Public order is • a collective achievement of the society • a result of the co-operation of efforts & endeavours • a product of the whole community accomplished by co-operation of social & professional partners • Police is a key player in establishing public order • None of the possible partners has monopole position in producing public order

4. Structure of the Hungarian police • Hungarian police is • highly centralised • militarised • separated from civil administration • Unchanged is good even in a changing world • Changes worsen efficiency • Sworn police officers are subordinated to a strict and militant hierarchy

5. Functions of the Hungarian police • Key functions of the Hungarian police involve • criminal law enforcement • maintaining public order – the concept of visible policing • traffic enforcement • immigration enforcement (due to soon merger with now independent Border Guard) • Hungarian police is a uniform organisation – no functional or professional independence is granted either branches of police activities • Hungarian police is a militarised organisation – being a brave police officer is often simplified to following orders & commands

6. Efficiency of the Hungarian police • The police appraises its own efficiency • it supplies the gauge to measure • it monopolises the data upon which its appraisal stands • No outsiders or ‘civilians’ shall be welcome to evaluate the police and its work • No cost & benefit analyses • The police always appraises its work & performance perfect and assumes itself the best possible solution

7. Performance of the Hungarian police • Hungarian police does reactive policing & focuses on law enforcement • It is widely empowered to implement means of secret & under cover detection (police intelligence) • Maintaining public order & traffic enforcement often involves challenging everyday citizens for ID without reason • No full compliance with human rights, fundamental freedoms & constitutional safeguards

8. Knowledge of the Hungarian police • Police is the fieldworker of law enforcement • Police still holds the monopoly of case-oriented knowledge, i.e. • has a general overview of the crime complex • experiences changes in both structure & volume of crime • perceives shifts in territorial features of offending • holds the knowledge of how to investigate into and enforce criminal offences • Police is a key supplier of crime statistics in Hungary • Police possesses enormous forensic expertise

9. What is CCP waiting from the police • To be a co-operating professional partner • To pay attention to the needs of those communities it serves & protects • To be considerate to community policing values • To work together in preparing people not to conceive public order any more as a social service funded and supplied by the government • To contribute to strengthening self-defence capabilities of citizens, communities and market players

10. What makes policing knowledge-based • Giving up believing that police is the monopole supplier of public order • Approaching crime problems with a CCP attitude • Employing knowledge & expertise CCP accumulated in everyday policing • Involving citizens & municipalities in producing & maintaining public order • Being open towards recent findings of criminal sciences and criminological research

11. Thank youfor your kindattention