Interview with Police Brigadier General Dr. Péter Varga, Head of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Police Headquarters

Abstract

Over the course of more than three and a half decades in policing, Police Brigadier General Dr. Péter Varga has traversed the full professional spectrum of Hungarian law enforcement, from border guard basic training and investigative work to leading a county police headquarters. The interview explores not only his professional career but also his personal story: the law enforcement challenges of the period of political transition, the first professional steps of a young officer, the role of formative commanders, and a leadership philosophy in which organizational interests and human dignity are given equal weight. Alongside an overview of the law enforcement challenges of Győr-Moson-Sopron County – including border-related specificities, migration, recruitment, and the organization of public safety – Dr. Varga emphasizes the indispensable role of trust, empathy, cooperation, and professional humility. The conversation presents, at once, an experienced law enforcement professional, a people-centered leader, and a life path in which each stage served as renewed confirmation that policing is not merely an occupation, but a value-based lifelong service. Beyond providing insight into the operation of policing in Győr, the interview also offers a portrait of a person for whom vocation and identity are inseparable, and who believes that police work functions best when the organization’s heartbeat is steady – not too fast, not too slow, but sustainable and human-centered over the long term.