Viennese water police saves undercooled man from the Danube!

Viennese water police saves undercooled man from the Danube!

In the night of Monday, June 9, 2025, there was a use of the water police in Vienna, triggered by a concerned passerby who discovered a motionless person in the Danube current. The alarmed water police immediately moved out with several officials and a police boat. On site, the man who drove in the water in the water was saved and brought on board.

As the investigation gave, the man had previously sat on the shore and accidentally fell into the water. Due to the current, he was unable to save himself on his own. When rescue, the man was already clearly hypothermic and needed immediate first aid before he was transported to the hospital. The quick reaction of the emergency services of the water police was crucial for the survival of the man.

The role of the water police

The water police, also known as the water protection police, is an organizational unit of the state police in Germany, which is entrusted with special tasks in the field of shipping and water protection. It not only ensures compliance with shipping regulations, but also focuses on hazard defense in the field of shipping and environmental protection. This unit also deals with border police measures, depending on the federal state, and is therefore an essential part of the security structure in coastal and internal waters.

• Water protection police has the following main tasks in Germany:
• Compliance with sea and inland navigation regulations
• security in the area of ​​shipping
• Environmental protection
• monitoring of international maritime environmental agencies

The water protection police are particularly responsible for navigable waterways, adjacent shores, locks and port systems. Coastal countries have extensive rights and duties up to the 12-sea mile border. In Germany, almost all state police entertain a water police, with the exception of Thuringia. A special coordination site, the WSP control center Cuxhaven, was set up in 2002 to efficiently control larger locations in the coastal sea.

international comparison

In other countries, for example in Austria, there are also water police such as the sea and electricity service, while similar units are active in many cantons in Switzerland. In Germany, the water protection police can look back on a long history that extends until the foundation of the first securitized unit, the Lower Hall Patrouille in 1787. Since then, the water police have developed and is also responsible for border police handling in the port of Hamburg.

The use of the Water Police in Vienna shows the importance of this specialized police facility, not only to ensure order and security on waterways, but also as a quick reaction in emergency situations. The lucky outcome of the incident is an example of the valuable use of this organizational unit.

Krone
Wikipedia - Water Protection Police
Wikipedia - Water Protection Police (further information)