Hungarian police recruit ‘border-hunters’ to keep out asylum seekers

The Hungarian police are advertising for 3,000 “border-hunters”, to assist the 10,000 police officers and soldiers patrolling a razor-wire fence to keep asylum seekers out of the country.

Like police officers, the new recruits will be armed with pistols with live ammunition, and will also be given pepper spray, batons, handcuffs, and protective kit. Police officer Zsolt Pozsgai told Hungarian state television that the new recruits will have six months’ training, must be over 18, physically fit, and must pass a psychological test. They will be paid 150,000 forint (€483) for the first two months, and then 220,300 forint (€708).

Hungary is in the middle of a campaign, launched by Prime Minister Victor Orban’s government ahead of a referendum on 2 October, in which voters will be asked to oppose a European Commission proposal to relocate 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece. Under the EU scheme, Hungary has been asked to take in 1,300 refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea.

The number of asylum seekers reaching Hungary’s southern border with Serbia has stagnated, at fewer than 200 daily. Currently 30 asylum seekers are allowed to enter Hungary each day through official “transit zones”. The number of those waiting on the Serbian side of the border for access to the transit zones, fell to 346 at Horgos last week, and 103 at Kelebia. That is below half the total of a month ago.