Radical Decrease in the Number of Homicides in Hungary

Abstract

It is a baffling fact that in Hungary, the number of crimes recorded by crime statistics is falling to a great extent. Since its peak in 1998, the overall crime rate has fallen to less than a third. Within this, the decline in the number of homicides, which fell to one-fifth, is even more pronounced. Many people look at the statistical indicators with suspicion and attribute the favourable numbers to the authority’s accounting methods. In my research, I examine what may be behind the radical decrease.