The History of Social Crime Prevention and Vigilance in Hungary

Abstract

Volunteers play an important role in the field of public safety, and there are many examples of this in foreign countries and in Hungary. In our country, the Civil Guard is the organisation legally authorised to carry out social crime prevention activities as an element of complementary policing. The author of this study, as a practising law enforcement officer and vigilante leader, after a general overview of the development of crime prevention, will present the historical background of civil public security activities, the emergence of vigilance, the reasons for the development of the movement, with a focus on the stages of development, the expansion of its tasks, the emergence of legal regulation and its significance. The author wishes to contribute to the comprehensive scientific research and mapping of the functioning of the vigilante movement, recognising that the subject under study is the prevention of crime, civilian involvement in the maintenance of public order and public safety, and therefore the cooperation of law enforcement, which is a constantly topical issue, since in the current circumstances the role of the vigilante is an indispensable aid to the police. Historical retrospection and a summary of the development of the organisation and its operation are an essential element of research on this subject.