The Gyöngyös Model of Community Policing

Abstract

After the regime change in our country, decision-makers did not take advantage of the opportunity to start decentralising the police, except for a few initiatives. As a result, apart from a few initiatives, the nationwide implementation of community policing has not been achieved. According to recognised experts, due to the concentration of central tasks, the police is increasingly distancing itself from serving the population, making it difficult to build trust between citizens and law enforcement. The aim of the research is to examine the impact of the community policing method introduced in Gyöngyös in early 2020 on the subjective sense of security of the population. In terms of public safety in Gyöngyös, the risk factors mainly include elements that can be found in any average rural settlement in Hungary, such as illegal dumping of waste, difficulties in maintaining public order in areas inhabited by the socially disadvantaged, and the presence of disruptive individuals in busier public areas. As part of the research examining the effects of the introduction of community policing, the opinion of
the population regarding subjective security was surveyed through an online questionnaire shared on social media platforms. In addition, interviews were conducted with three relevant figures in the life of the city, whose opinions represent real added value and can help support or refute the hypotheses formulated. During the personal interviews, György Hiesz, the mayor of Gyöngyös, Zoltán Marsi, a police lieutenant colonel and head of public order protection, and
Lászlóné Mácsár, deputy president of the local civilian guard, talked about how they assess the work of the organisation in community policing. The consolidated results of the research indicate that the introduction of community policing significantly increased the subjective
sense of security among the population of Gyöngyös and strengthened public trust in the local municipal law enforcement. Thus, in terms of the targeted goal, the model is considered successful, and its introduction is recommended for similar municipalities to enhance public satisfaction and a sense of security.