NCJ Number
144810
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study examines patterns in offenses committed by Hungarian police over time in the midst of social change.
Abstract
Data for 1985-89 indicate that the number of common offenses known to have been committed by police in 1985 was 1,031, with military offenses (offenses in the course of duties) being 1,195; in 1986, these numbers were 890 and 122 respectively, and in 1987, they were 1,374 and 1,477. In 1989, the Parliament adopted modifications of the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure to assign the investigations of offenses committed by police to the Investigation Offices of Prosecution. The overwhelming majority of offenses committed by police officers are misdemeanors, or offenses that provide a maximum imprisonment of 3 years. The pattern over a number of years for police offenses has been offenses against service duties at 30 percent, traffic offenses at 20 percent, property offenses at 20 percent, and other offenses at 30 percent. In 1988, 20 percent of the offenses were committed by commanders of various ranks. The percentage of cases of police offenses in which alcohol abuse has been involved have ranged between 20 percent and 30 percent on average. Overall, offenses committed by police have been isolated phenomena that involved only a few officers; however, police criminality exists and has been persistent over the years. Police are often enticed to commit offenses by their confidence that they have sufficient understanding of and control over police procedures that they will avoid detection. Unfortunately, it is often the case that fellow officers will not take action on the offenses of other officers known to them.