Sarah smartly shielding herself from the rowdy JSBP-ers |
How to swarm and arrest a rioter. |
This lovely morning, the JSBP crew found ourselves walking up to Hungary's headquarters for the Riot Control Police force in Budapest. The headquarters functions as a training ground and boarding area for the police (Walking around This department employs 3,459 men and women in Hungary—there are departments in almost every county of the country! The Riot Control Police have several units and responsibilities spanning a myriad of events and occurrences in Hungary. They have an “air force” unit (mostly helicopters), K9 unit, bomb disposal service, counter-terrorist service, immigration control, mounted riot unit, engage in riot control, VIP escorts, provide courier services, have a financial division, and even a professional music band. The list is expansive and goes on, and on…and on!
Self-Defense against knives |
Tank - Shoots 14 mm |
Casually holding a grenade launcher, used to deploy tear gas - "not like the French!" |
After listening to a short presentation (translated by the one and only Ildiko) about the roles and responsibilities of the Riot Control Police, I was still a little confused about the differences between Riot Control and the average police officer. It turns out that there are a couple reasons for this. I think what might have thrown me off the most was that their uniforms are different. The police that I’ve seen everyday are not average police officers, they are the Riot Control police (who have more training), and this is most likely because we live in an area with several embassies, so they need to provide an added level of protection. On top of this, most police officers are limited to their local jurisdiction, whereas a Riot Control officer has jurisdiction throughout the entire country. Riot Control officers can also be invited into towns and local departments to provide an added level of service; Whitney and Tito were really helpful to my understanding of the difference between the two in equating the Riot Control officers to state police in the United States.
How to safely pull over someone who is armed and dangerous! |
When the discussion came to an end, we were led outside to see the different riot control tools employed by the force. We saw several types of grenade launchers that were used to disperse tear gas as well as the full body gear worn by the officers. We even had the opportunity to hold the shields that they use to resist against and control large crowds. From there, we looked at their huge trucks and tanks that make their job a little easier.
The officer explaining to us the functions of each told us that while it all looked very intimidating, they use the trucks rarely, and some of them are even used to plow snow.
Take him down! |
Scary death truck... actually less intimidating than it looks: used to keep crowds out of certain area |
For me, the most exciting part of the whole day was watching officers dressed up in their full gear perform some of their training exercises for us. They first showed us arrest, escort, and crowd control procedures. Then one group demonstrated self defense and restrain tactics using batons, or hand-to-hand techniques when facing projectiles or someone with a knife. The last group demonstrated the procedure for pulling someone over and arresting them in a safe and controlled manner. It was pretty neat.
Overall, I enjoyed today, but it was a disappointment for me because I expected something different. I thought we would have the chance to understand the big 2006 riots, hooligan riots that they deal with, and the dangerous situations they face with on a daily basis, and maybe the opportunity to question issues with policy brutality. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, but thought it would be interesting to learn about certain protocols. I think this may be where the language barrier becomes a problem in Budapest, and I think that our discussion would have gone in further depth if said barrier didn’t exist. The whole presentation seemed to be a production to show the system of the force: how it works and what they do. There was nothing else said about the force, like their mistakes or successes, or developments that have occurred. That's what I've appreciated about the other field studies trips, we go into depth and learn about the good and the bad (sometimes it's all bad) that have come of different situations. Nonetheless, I did really, really appreciate being able to see up close the types of weapons and vehicles the force uses, and I thought “show” was very entertaining!
Here is a video I found about the 2006 riots that I had been hoping to learn about...take the time to watch it as it's very interesting. The rioters were reacting to the release of the PM's secret, confidential speech in which he revealed that the Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election. The Riot Police took a lot of heat for using rubber bullets on the crowd, and drew a lot of attention to themselves regarding the question of police brutality.
Here is a video I found about the 2006 riots that I had been hoping to learn about...take the time to watch it as it's very interesting. The rioters were reacting to the release of the PM's secret, confidential speech in which he revealed that the Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election. The Riot Police took a lot of heat for using rubber bullets on the crowd, and drew a lot of attention to themselves regarding the question of police brutality.
The Spectacle |
Central Kavehaz |
Yum,
Live and Learn.
Mary! Wow!
ReplyDeleteI know I comment on everyone of your blogs (its always up first!), I can say that this is the best blog I think you have written. The pictures are fabulous (as always), the writing and insightfulness you provide is amazing, and the video is UNREAL. I really enjoyed just watching this video - I had never seen a riot like this and it was interesting to watch, especially in Hungary. I wonder how many people died in these 2006 riots? Or how many were injured? I agree that it would have been nice to learn a lot more about what actually happens behind the scenes rather than the facts about the Riot Control Police.
I personally felt that they were so similar to Police in the US, that it was almost uninteresting or boring for a lot of it. It was nice to hear how the Police work in Hungary, but it was something I have heard again and again from middle school to college. So, I think you have some great points about how it could have been a more interesting and exciting experience if we got to learn more about the other aspects of the Riot Police. I also think that you're right about the language barrier - it stops us from being able to ask more questions and really understand what's happening. Ildako of course, AS ALWAYS, does a great job, but it's very frustrating. I always will wonder what the woman speaking in Hungarian is actually saying - she speaks for 4 minutes while Ildako translates to us in 30 seconds.
Overall, totally my favorite post you've written. Really well done, I love it and I agree with everything you said.
Also, did you know the song from the video you posted is from the movie Requiem For a Dream? Such a messed up movie, if you've never seen it you should! I think you would find it really interesting. It was a perfect song choice by the producer of this video.
JOB WELL DONE PICKLE SISTA!
Mary. great post and clever layout, I thoroughly enjoyed it. You clearly payed close attention throughout the entire trip and were able to think deeply about what was going on around us. I agree with almost all the points you made, and I also enjoy the fact that you had the foresight to bring a camera to the station in order to share some of the interesting photos. I agree that it would have been very interesting to here about the 2006 riots from the perspective of the police, but maybe it's just something they don't feel comfortable with. I agree that the demonstration was the most exiting part of the presentation, and those are guys i really hope I don't see on the streets of Budapest! I felt you were very candid in your post and your honesty was clear throughout its entirety.
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