Hungary’s police chief: International cooperation key to tackling illegal migration

Budapest, September 9 (MTI) – Illegal migration can only be successfully combatted through international cooperation, Hungary’s police chief Károly Papp said at the 38th congress of European capitals’ police chiefs in Budapest on Friday.

The security challenges encountered by Europe over the past year have reduced citizens’ subjective sense of security, Papp told his international colleagues. The terrorist attacks that occurred highlight the need for more effective international cooperation among European law enforcement agencies and secret services, particularly in information sharing and improving preventive measures, he added.

Alongside the series of terrorist attacks Europe has recently faced, the continent’s biggest challenge since 2015 has been illegal migration, Papp said.

The task of combatting illegal migration wears heavily on Hungary’s police force, but thanks to the government’s recent measures, Budapest is a city free of extremism with consistent security, the police chief said.

He noted that over the past year, Hungary, under bilateral agreements and within the framework of EU border agency Frontex, has sent police units to help out with border protection efforts in Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece.