Theft on trains: yes, it's really bad.
Theft on trains is very, very bad in Hungary. Always watch your bags, always keep your money and documents on your body, and be especially cautious during longer stops in big train stations (such as Budapest), when lots of people board and leave the train. While there is occasional police presence, individual policemen seem to be completely indifferent about the problem so that even some Hungarians I spoke with suspect they tolerate or even cooperate with the thieves. If something is stolen from you, you *must* adamantly insist on having a report filed on the spot, and getting some official piece of paper. Do not believe stories like "the law requires you to leave the train and come to the police station for three hours" or "you can file the report in another country", which are simply lies to avoid work with tourists and make local crime statistics look better. Myself and some work...
