Owing to its length this article has been divided into three parts. In July of last year, the Hungarian government announced its intention to establish a central co-ordination unit to combat organised crime. The unit's mandate would be to compile, exchange and disseminate information vital to ensuring the effectiveness of the planned crackdown on Mafia-style activities in the country.
Bribery features under a different heading, that of crimes against property.
Further typical hallmarks of organised crime are the existence of territorial divisions between organisations or gangs and protection extended by the organisations to those of their members who have been arrested, including supporting their families. Since the collapse of Communism and the triumphal entry of the Capitalist alternative, many of the loopholes and flaws of legislation that opened up untold opportunities for the ingenious criminal have been successfully dealt with. In the early days of heady investment, the relatively lax monitoring meant that those who engaged in shady dealings were not running a huge risk of being caught. Excise duties on oil, cigarettes and alcohol were so high that crime seemed to pay. Trading in these commodities took place without any pretence of being in possession of the requisite licence.