Security crisis in Vienna: Police have to save massive at overtime!

In Austria, the police are faced with massive challenges due to a lack of a federal budget. The uncertainty regarding the financial means forces security forces to save drastic savings. In Upper Austria, the state police are planning to save, especially for overtime and less important purchases, such as drones and protective vests. According to the state police directorate, these preliminary measures that are taken due to the budgetary bottlenecks should not have any noticeable effects on the safety of the population. "The staff is more high than ever," claims what the citizens should calm down, as orf.at reported.

At the same time, internal information shows that not only the police department in Upper Austria is affected. In Vienna, the 7,200 police officers must also expect drastic cuts at overtime after they worked more than 2 million overtime hours in 2024. Walter Strallhofer, chairman of the police union in Vienna, said that the company could only be maintained through these overtime. However, the current savings that the Interior Ministry declares as a temporary precautionary measure could be the beginning of far-reaching austerity measures, as meinbezirk.at . Despite the savings, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) made it clear: "However, it must not be saved at security."

reactions to austerity policy

The reactions of unions are mixed. Martin Heinzl, chairman of the police union, fundamentally rejects the austerity measures, while the representative of the Freedom Auf union, Gerhard Zauner, emphasizes the need for more resources after the latest events, such as the attack in Villach. In addition, Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) explains that the requirements for savings are not the same for every ministry, which raises additional questions for security.