The Hungarian government has accepted proposals put forward by the mayors of five central Budapest districts aimed at improving public safety, the mayors said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The statement was signed by Krisztina Baranyi, mayor of District IX; Péter Niedermüller of District VII; András Pikó of District VIII; Tamás Soproni of District VI; and József Tóth of District XIII.
The mayors recalled that on 15 July they had asked the government to take immediate measures to improve public safety in central Budapest. A 30-day period of increased police checks was subsequently launched, and Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai has now informed them that the government has accepted further proposals.
One of the key measures will be a permanent police presence at Budapest’s most problematic locations. According to the interior minister, concentrated police patrols will operate at 19 permanent locations and 90 ‘recurring’ locations across the capital.
The mayors called for the locations to be designated in consultation with district municipalities by 15 September 2026, at the latest.
The mayors also proposed introducing a special ‘Budapest allowance’ for law-enforcement personnel. The interior minister said the government was considering a wage supplement reflecting the particular conditions faced by law-enforcement workers serving in the capital. The mayors called for the issue to be considered as a matter of urgency.
The government also supports giving municipalities greater authority over the operation of tobacco shops, the mayors said. Preparatory work on a government proposal is already under way.
The district leaders want municipalities to receive powers allowing them to restrict the opening hours of tobacco shops at night and suspend their operations in cases of serious violations.
The Interior Ministry also supports extending strict liability to traffic offences documented by public surveillance cameras. The mayors said they wanted fines imposed and collected by municipal public-space enforcement authorities to remain with the municipalities concerned.
The government will also examine the mayors’ proposal concerning the operation of night shelters. The interior minister said the issue would be considered by a social-policy working group to be established by the government.
The Interior Ministry is additionally expected to propose expanding the powers of the Budapest Municipal Law Enforcement Directorate (FÖRI), as well as district municipal public-space enforcement and law-enforcement bodies.
‘The consequences of 16 years of culpable failures cannot be addressed overnight, but we are confident that cooperation between the government and municipalities can gradually and effectively improve public safety,’ the mayors said.
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