New Year's Eve in Wels: Police operations escalate - allegations against officials!

New Year's Eve in Wels: Police operations escalate - allegations against officials!

There were riots in Wels on New Year's Eve, even though the feared violent riots from the previous year did not occur. The fire department was in great demand in the city and put out numerous small fires, particularly those caused by fireworks residue and garbage container fires. How My district reports, two people were arrested in the Lichtenegg district after clashes broke out between young people and the police. Some young people fired unauthorized pyrotechnics, which led to a major police operation. The most conspicuous of those arrested, a 19-year-old, vehemently resisted police control.

Arrests and allegations against the police

During the clashes, both the 19-year-old and a 20-year-old were slightly injured, while a police officer suffered a fractured finger. The two detainees then made serious allegations against the officers and reported aggressive behavior and racist insults during their arrest. They claim that they were unexpectedly drawn into the crowd and that the police treated them unfairly, which they want to prove with video. Police Chief Hermann Krenn said: his statement that the incidents should be examined carefully. However, he ruled out any brutal approach by the officers because they were trained and the behavior of the emergency services was always professional.

The situation was “tense” due to the high number of celebrations and the use of pyrotechnics. Despite the allegations, dealing with the incident is of great importance for the state police department in order to maintain trust in the police and to transparently investigate any misconduct.