On the EU’s external border with Serbia, Hungary is engaged in hard duels with people smugglers and the like. 70 Austrian police officers are already protecting the hinterland. A local inspection.
Only a three-hour drive from Austria, people smugglers, migrants and Hungarian police no longer play an innocent game of cat and mouse in the Szeged region, but real duels.
The new influx of refugees via the Balkan route has forced 240,000 “actions” to be carried out this year in some 300 kilometers of fenced area between Hungary and Serbia. In detail: fending off groups of smugglers, some of whom are heavily armed, arresting migrants and returning them. Called “escort back” in Hungary.
“Exciting, surprising and shocking”
The bald figures alone paint a gloomy picture, but the situation on the ground is even more tense. District inspector Vanessa G. (27) from Salzburg knows the situation as an officer on a foreign assignment: “The task at the border is exciting, surprising and shocking at the same time. We certainly want to support our Hungarian colleagues,” said G. at the local inspection “Krone”.
An important signal for Michael Takacs, director of the federal police: “Any human traffickers who are apprehended here do not pose a threat to Austria. That is why our workforce has now expanded to 70 colleagues,” says Takacs.
Besides Austria, only the Czech Republic and Turkey have police units to protect the Schengen external border. The rest of Europe is watching again. Meanwhile, border controls to our neighboring countries Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia have been expanded by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
