Village Guard Programme

Policy Response DateSeptember 18, 2009 Country: Hungary General Type: Discrimination, Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Ethnic minorities Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement

The village guard programme was originally a part of a ten-point legislative and governmental policy package called Order and Security, announced in September 2009, aimed at easing ethnic tensions between Roma and non-Roma communities, preventing anti-Roma hate crimes and addressing petty offences. Village guard teams will be organised in affiliation with local municipalities. The municipalities were provided with incentives to recruit unemployed (among them Roma) people into the programme. From 1 January 2010, the per capita wage support is 73,000 Ft + 27 % taxes (approx. 37 EUR).

During the first 3 month of the programme (October-December 2009) 1,000 village guards started to work.

The last announcement on successful applications by settlements were launched in May 2010. Within the new governmental structure, the coordination of and the financial sources for the programme from 2011 are not yet secured.

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[1] "Több kamerát, több rendőrt akar a kormány" ["The government wants more cameras and more policemen"], Origo.hu, 07. 09. 2009, http://www.origo.hu/itthon/20090907-rend-es-biztonsag-tizpontos-kozbiztonsagi-intezkedescsomagot-hirdetett-bajnai-gordon.html (Date of Access: 10.03.2012).