Hungary: Information on initiatives to hire Roma police officers, including areas of operation and impact upon Roma access to police services; whether Roma can request to speak to a Roma police officer when filing a report with the police (2014-March 2017)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 11 May 2017 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HUN105744.E |
| Related Document(s) | Hongrie : information sur les initiatives pour embaucher des policiers roms, y compris les secteurs d'opération et l'incidence sur l'accès des Roms aux services policiers; information indiquant si un Rom peut demander à parler à un policier rom lorsqu'il signale un incident à la police (2014-mars 2017) |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Hungary: Information on initiatives to hire Roma police officers, including areas of operation and impact upon Roma access to police services; whether Roma can request to speak to a Roma police officer when filing a report with the police (2014-March 2017), 11 May 2017, HUN105744.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/598c73334.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official from the Hungarian Embassy in Ottawa provided the following information, obtained from the Hungarian Ministry of Interior:
[T]he Hungarian National Police has been treating the educational as well as employment opportunities of the Roma youth as high priority on both strategic and operational levels since the internal instruction No. 1/2010. HNP came into force.
The country police headquarters have been making a lot of efforts to spread [police] applications in the largest possible circles so that they reach more Roma youth interested in police career.
Secondary [school] application system can assure [that] supported young Roma get their high school diploma, thus increasing their employment opportunities with the police.
The higher education application system provides support for [Roma] to complete their college or university studies and then to get employment within the police. (Hungary 1 Mar. 2017)
A November 2014 article by Magyar Távirati Iroda (MTI), a Hungarian news agency (MTI 20 Nov. 2014), reports that a project that would advise "Hungarian law enforcement agencies on handling hate crimes and promoting Roma in law enforcement was launched … with the help of the Norwegian Civil Fund" (MTI 20 Nov. 2014). According to the same source, the purpose of the project is to "prepare police commanders for handling an abrupt outbreak of an ethnic conflict or acts of provocation, as well as to communicate a positive image of Roma people finding employment in law enforcement" (MTI 20 Nov. 2014). The project is run by the "Public Association for European Roma Law Enforcement (ERRBKE)" (MTI 20 Nov. 2014). Further information, including on project achievements, membership and activities of the ERRBKE, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
An April 2014 article posted by the US Department of State reports that the Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers (FAERLEO) was co-founded in 2006 by György Makula, a police major and Deputy Head of the Communication Service of the Hungarian National Police Headquarters (US 7 Apr. 2014). Quoting Makula, the article states that
"FAERLEO aims to promote equal opportunities in the law enforcement agencies of Hungary and other EU member states, reduce mutual prejudices between law enforcement agencies and Roma communities, increase the number of Roma staff at law enforcement agencies, and improve the lives and service conditions of current Roma staff members. To achieve these goals, FAERLEO has international, national and regional initiatives." For example, FAERLEO is implementing a project titled the "Roma Law Enforcement Community Tour," which is supported by the U.S. Embassy, as well as the British and Norwegian Embassies and the Hungarian police. (US 7 Apr. 2014)
A June 2014 article written by György Makula and published on the website of the Open Society Foundations states that FAERLEO has "many non-Roma members" and "[a]nyone in law enforcement can join" (Open Society Foundations 3 June 2014).
According to the same source, "[s]tringent data protection legislation means that we cannot be sure how many Roma police officers there are" (Open Society Foundations 3 June 2014). The information provided to the Hungarian Embassy by the Hungarian Ministry of Interior similarly states that the "Hungarian police does not keep any records of the origin, religious affiliation or political views of the employees, so we do not have any data on the number of Roma police officers" (Hungary 1 Mar. 2017). The same source further states that
[t]he Hungarian police [has] appoint[ed] minority liaison officers from its members since 2011 in the interest of subservience of professional members' preparedness, mutual assistance, strengthening of crime prevention and getting to know and understand people who live in multicultural environment. The body in charge of the matter takes into consideration the victims' and the aggrieved parties' demands.
Avoiding secondary victimization (or post crime victimization) and empowering of empathic view has to prevail as a fundamental aspect during procedures.
Roma police officers can join in the procedure as supporters as far as possible but the assurance of special expertise is the primary factor during picking the right person. (Hungary 1 Mar. 2017)
According to the 2014 article written by György Makula,
[he served as a] Roma liaison officer to act as a point of contact between the police and the Roma [c]ommunity. Sometimes Roma fear speaking to the police or distrust them, because of previous ill treatment or discrimination, so having someone who understands their background and identity can help them to feel more comfortable. In addition, for other Hungarians, they can use our liaison officers to better understand Roma and acknowledge why certain problems may be occurring. (Open Society Foundations 3 June 2014)
Information on the number and locations of Roma liaison officers could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Information on the ability of Roma to request the assistance of a Roma police officer, or Roma liaison officer, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Hungary. 1 March 2017. Embassy of Hungary in Ottawa. Correspondance with the Research Directorate.
Magyar Távirati Iroda (MTI). 20 November 2014. "Project Launched on Better Policing of Hate Crime with Funding from Norway." [Accessed 7 Mar. 2017]
Open Society Foundations. 3 June 2014. György Makula. "Patrolling the Streets with Hungary's Roma Police." [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017]
United States (US). 7 April 2014. Department of State. "Romani Police Major (and ECA Program Alumnus) Makes an Impact in Hungary." [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ecoi.net; European Roma Rights Centre; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; Hungary - Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Interior; Hungarian Helsinki Committee; INTERPOL; Jane's Intelligence Review; NET-KARD Project; Project on Ethnic Relations; Sokszínu Rendvédelem; UK - Home Office; UN - Refworld.
