A thorough internal investigation has been initiated as police review previous domestic violence reports following a murder case.
In an announcement on Tuesday morning, the National Police Headquarters of Hungary disclosed the findings of an internal investigation following the murder of a Japanese woman in Budapest.
As a result of this inquiry, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against five police officers from the V. District Police Department.
Among these officers, one head of division has been dismissed from their position, while a deputy head has been reassigned.
Additionally, the individual responsible for the administration of the police’s official
Facebook page has also been removed from their post due to inappropriate comments made on social media.
At the press conference, Deputy Police Colonel Gergely Fülöp admitted to shortcomings in the police response regarding previous domestic violence complaints made by the victim against her former husband, who has since been charged with her murder.
It has been reported that the victim, a mother of two, had previously filed a complaint concerning harassment, but no investigation was launched at that time.
The internal investigation has concluded with several key outcomes:
- Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against five officers at the V. District Police Department.
- A deputy head has been reassigned, and a head of division has been dismissed due to the findings of the inquiry.
- An additional disciplinary action has been taken against an officer responsible for the social media communications, prompted by inappropriate remarks made in response to public comments regarding the case.
- The police have increased the number of officers required to undertake mandatory sensitivity training on the subject of domestic violence.
- Furthermore, the National Police Headquarters has announced a review of all domestic violence-related complaints made in the past year, including those cases where investigations were previously closed due to a lack of crime or evidence.
Ongoing investigations will now be conducted with heightened scrutiny.
The internal investigation was prompted by revelations that the Japanese woman had sought assistance from the police regarding harassment from her former husband.
Reports indicated that the husband had threatened the victim with statements including, "You will die a painful, slow death."
The charred remains of the victim were discovered following a fire in her apartment at the end of January.
Initially, law enforcement did not categorize her death as a homicide.
Later, her husband, a citizen of Ireland, was identified as a suspect.
Surveillance footage confirmed that he entered her residence in disguise on January 29, where he remained for over an hour before later notifying authorities of the fire.
The case has also drawn criticism regarding police communication and public relations.
It emerged that the victim had previously engaged with a legal advocacy organization, and individuals aware of her situation highlighted discrepancies in the police's handling of the case on the Budapest Police Headquarters’
Facebook page.
This prompted ridicule from the police’s official account, leading to public outrage and an eventual official apology from the police for the manner of their communication.
No questions were permitted during the press conference on Tuesday.