Shots in the skater park: Floridsdorf in fear of youth violence!

Shots in the skater park: Floridsdorf in fear of youth violence!

On Friday evening there was an incident in the Floridsdorf skate park in which young people chased a person with a gun and shouted “Allahu Akbar”. These incidents raise concerns about increasing insecurity in the district, as Wolfgang Irschik, FPÖ member of the state parliament, emphasizes. He demands that public spaces should not become scenes of violence and that citizens can feel safe. The situation is perceived as alarming by Irschik and the deputy district head Sabine Mareda, whereupon Mareda calls for decisive action in areas related to children and young people. The FPÖ demands an immediate increase in police presence in Floridsdorf as well as consistent investigations and harsh punishments for the perpetrators.

The FPÖ sharply criticizes the red-pink city government for its failure on security issues. There are also calls to rethink integration and migration policies, which, as the FPÖ argues, encourage such developments. On Monday night, the situation in Floridsdorf escalated when a gang of four youths rioted. In this context, several suspected shots were heard at the train station in the area, and the young people threatened visitors to a business premises with a drawn weapon. A 26-year-old witness who tried to stop the young people was injured and even hit by a blank gun.

An increase in juvenile crime

The incidents in Floridsdorf are not isolated. According to current surveys and the report by the Federal Ministry of Youth Affairs, preventative measures to combat child and youth crime have been more urgent than ever in recent years. The ministry is working on action strategies and taking part in technical discussions to improve the situation. A statistical problem is that the majority of suspected children and young people only come into conflict with the law once, while 5-10% commit repeated, sometimes serious, crimes.

Intensive offenders are often male and struggle with multiple challenges such as social disadvantage and experiences of violence. The work of the Federal Youth Ministry is aimed at optimizing cooperation between various institutions such as child and youth welfare services, the police and schools. Crime and violence prevention has developed both qualitatively and quantitatively over the last two decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of preventive measures remains a task that must be taken on by the states and municipalities because the challenges are complex.

In view of the recent incidents in Vienna-Floridsdorf, the debate about security and violence prevention is more relevant than ever. Irschik and Mareda call for decisive action to protect young people and the community. OTS reports on the worrying situation while crown the riots and the injured witnesses are examined in more detail. Strategies to prevent and combat violence among young people continue to be developed by the Federal Ministry of Youth pushed forward.