Fight against youth crime: Linz relies on prevention and control

Fight against youth crime: Linz relies on prevention and control

Linz, Österreich - On May 20, 2025, there was an important local inspection to combat youth crime in Linz, in which Interior Minister Gerhard Karner took part. This focus campaign organized by the Linz city police command is aimed at combating youth crime in urban rooms. A total of 18 police officers were deployed, including forces from the city police command, the standby unit and the youth crime. Two service dog handlers were also on site. ots.at

The youth crime group was founded in the Federal Criminal Police Office in March 2024 to coordinate control measures across Austria. From March to December 2024, 55,500 people were checked, which led to 7,400 ads and around 900 arrests. Interior Minister Karner emphasized the effectiveness of these focus controls and thanked the police for their tireless efforts. The central approach in the fight against youth crime not only strives to punish crimes, but also includes preventive measures to recognize and counteract the weaknesses and potential dangers at an early stage.

rising youth crime

Jugend crime in Austria shows an alarming increase between 2020 and 2024. The advertisements with suspects aged 10 to 14 have almost doubled - from 6,971 to 12,895 cases. In Upper Austria in particular, the number of suspects rose from 4,317 in 2015 to 7,271 in 2024, which corresponds to an increase of around 70 percent. Incidents with high potential for violence, such as the riots for Halloween 2022, have alerted the public and were as an opportunity for expanded measures such as increased controls and the introduction of youth contact officers. bmi.gv.at

Around 50 percent of the suspects 10 to 14 year olds have no Austrian citizenship, and the number of Syrian suspect rose from around 150 cases in 2020 to around 1,000 in 2024. The problem is tightened by ethnically motivated conflicts between groups such as Syrians, Afghans and Chechens, which are mainly held in parks. The cooperation between various institutions such as the police, school and judiciary has intensified in recent years in order to be able to better counter these challenges. BMFSFJ.de

preventive measures and strategies

The Federal Youth Ministry has initiated several strategies for the prevention of child and youth crime. An interministerial working group to combat youth crime was set up on March 7, 2024 and focuses on the intensive care of young criminals. The focus is particularly on minor intensive offenders who have committed up to 200 crimes, as well as on the introduction of programs such as "Under18", which will be a focus for young people from the age of 12. href = "https://www.bmi.gv.at/magazin/2025_01_02/01_jugendkriminalitaet.aspx"> bmi.gv.at

A weapon ban zone was also introduced on the Reumannplatz in order to prevent weapons carried out without a legitimate reason. The police moniture these zones by means of video surveillance, which has already led to a decline in the knife attacks. Nevertheless, the struggle against youth delinquency and the violent spiral, which is promoted by social disadvantage and deviant friends, remains a major challenge that the authorities must continue to face.