Hungary's border protection efforts have been significantly increased following a heightened number of illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border, it has been revealed.
György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, said that border protection has been significantly strengthened, a number of additional police officers and soldiers have arrived at the borders and the range of equipment available to them has also been extended.
Bakondi said that “in-depth” border defense would be introduced by the Hungarian authorities along the Serbian and Croatian border sections.
Migrants who are apprehended within eight kilometers of the border will be accompanied back to the nearest gate in the border fence and will be directed to the nearest transit zone.
Bakondi also pointed out that the aim is to apprehend all of those who attempt to cross the border illegally.
He further added that, as with other forms of organised crime, the leaders of people smuggling rings do not approach the borders, but control events from afar.
Although some 160 people smugglers have been apprehended this year in Hungary – there is at least one such case a day – they are in fact only “deliverymen” or “couriers," Bakondi said.