By the time of the Napoleonic Wars at the latest, the counties had to face the consequences of rapidly deteriorating public security and the raids typical of the “bandit world” prevalent in the Great Hungarian Plain. The significant increase in crime was caused by the increase in taxes, the strict military recruitment obligations, and the great famines of the early 1790s. The ‘pandur’ system, which ensured public order, was not a uniformly organized national guard but rather a variety of formations operated in each county, often with very different salaries and rewards. The ‘pandur’ system, as a county public security body, could be encountered in some regions as early as the 17th century, but most noble assemblies ordered its establishment during the 18th century.