Car thefts and corruption

Commenting on improving car theft statistics, a conservative pundit fears that the decline in the number of cars stolen may weaken the public’s awareness of large scale corruption.

According to the police data released this week, the number of car thefts declined to a 20 year low in the first half of 2016. In the first six months of the year, only 835 cars were reported stolen.

In Magyar Nemzet, László Szermán thinks that the decline in the number of car thefts will suggest to average voters that the Hungarian police is tough on crime, and criminal investigation is effective. The conservative columnist fears that such satisfaction may prove counterproductive – if the public believes that the police and prosecutors are doing their job, people become less vigilant and corruption becomes easier. While car thefts have an immediate impact on voters’ sense of public order, they are less worried about corruption – even if billions of Forints are stolen, Szermán contends.

Tags: corruption