Police on the rise: number of applicants almost doubled!

Police on the rise: number of applicants almost doubled!

Austria's police have recorded a remarkable increase in the number of applicants! The intensive personnel offensive and modernized recruiting procedures are already showing fruitful results, as [meinbezirk.at] reported. As part of this initiative, the number of applicants in Upper Austria has almost doubled: from 779 last year to an impressive 1,474 this year. And that's just the beginning! Around 2,500 new police trainees are also planned for 2025, with 224 for the Upper Austrian State Police Directorate.

Better conditions for future police officers

The improvements in the police academy are varied. From a modern tattoo regulation to an increase in training salaries to the reimbursement of climate tickets and driving licenses: the incentives have been significantly increased to attract young talent. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that the police had already welcomed around 2,600 police officers for new hires in 2024 - an increase of more than 1,000 compared to the previous year. These numbers are all the more impressive because applications have increased by almost 80 percent: from 6,500 in 2022 to over 11,500 in 2024, as [ots.at] reported.

A practical innovation is the introduction of a one-click application, which is extremely popular with applicants. In order not to lose potential candidates due to temporary fitness deficiencies, such as push-ups, the sports testing was moved to the training phase. Individual coaching aims to address these weaknesses and at the same time improve training in a modern environment. Innovative training approaches, such as virtual reality operational training, make police training varied and appealing.