No new police officers: Basic courses canceled in six federal states

The savings program at the Austrian police is now also extending to new recruitments. In September, basic training classes will be canceled in six federal states. This is shown by corresponding APA research. Staff representatives criticized this on Thursday. The Ministry of the Interior pointed out in a response on Thursday that the staffing plan is "determined by the federal finance law" and that there is currently an "all-time personnel high."

Police Basic Courses Canceled in Six Federal States

Specifically, the federal states of Tyrol, Salzburg, Carinthia, Styria, and Burgenland will be completely left out in September. In Lower Austria, at least a six-month border police course and a three-month course for training border assistants will take place in September, as stated in a corresponding letter to the state police directorates dated June 17, which is available to the APA. It mentions a "first adaptation of the new recruitment planning."

"1:1 Replacements for Every Departure" Assured

There are currently more police officers on duty than ever before, the Ministry of the Interior assured in response to the report on course cancellations. Numbers regarding the ratio of officers in active patrol duty to those in special assignments were not provided. However, with the exception of Vienna and Vorarlberg, a personnel surplus is registered in all states. "That deviations can occur at individual stations is beyond question." Added note: "The focus of new recruitments is on the metropolitan area of Vienna and Vorarlberg."

This year, 1,500 new recruitments are planned "for the entire department and in all federal states," with 4,200 recruitments having taken place in the past two years. Additionally, around 3,800 people are currently in basic training. This means that capacities "in all federal states are almost exhausted." However, "every vacated position in the executive service will be replaced 1:1."

Offer for Vienna and Vorarlberg

No information was provided about the recruitment cycle in December. However, since the end of June, the Ministry of the Interior's recruitment website only lists job postings for the foreign and border police in Lower Austria and for basic police training in Upper Austria and Vienna. In contrast, the posting for the September cycle had not yet been updated on the website by Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM.

Applicants affected by the cancellations were likely offered the opportunity to use their points from the aptitude test for basic training in Vienna or Vorarlberg. This is evident from a letter from the end of June to a candidate in the recruitment process, which is available to the APA. The points achieved would remain valid for one year, it states.

Cancellations in Patrols, No Replacements for Sick Leave

The Styrian trade unionist Jürgen Grill contradicted the Ministry of the Interior's statement regarding the replacements for departures on Thursday. "So far this year, we have had 59 retirements. In contrast, there have been 28 new hires so far, and there will not be more according to the current status," said Grill from the Socialist Trade Unionists' Faction (FSG). Grill pointed out the lack of replacements for sick leave on weekends, cancellations in sector and youth protection patrols in numerous districts, as well as the reduction of minimum personnel requirements in Graz.

Cuts Lead to Sharp Criticism

Martin Heinzl, chairman of the police union from the Christian Trade Unionists' Faction (FCG), said in the afternoon about the course cancellations that "we are, of course, not happy about it." Naturally, one cannot be satisfied, said Heinzl. He hoped "that it will consolidate again." The FPÖ National Council member and AUF staff representative in the central committee, Reinhold Maier, told the APA of only "1,486 instead of the originally planned 2,466 new hires." The predicted retirements could "definitely not be compensated in this form," Maier clarified. "This inevitably leads to less presence."

From the Socialist Trade Unionists' Faction (FSG), the deputy federal chairman Walter Strallhofer criticized the continuation "of the wrong personnel policy of the last decades." Martin Noschiel, deputy chairman in the central committee in the Ministry of the Interior, added in the afternoon: "If you say that security is not being cut, that is not compatible with the cancellation of basic courses." The Burgenland SPÖ also struck the same chord. It is also "unacceptable that Burgenland as a border region is affected by cuts," said the two state parliament members Roman Kainrath and Jürgen Karall in a statement. They also countered the Ministry of the Interior, stating that there have been no replacements for previous departures in Burgenland.

Course cancellations are being carried out "while right-wing extremist networks are becoming more active and the problem of illegal weapons is growing daily," said the Green security spokeswoman Agnes Prammer to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) via a statement. This is "extremely dangerous." Karner must "stand by his word" and should "support the police, not restrict them."

Various Austerity Measures in the Police

Since spring, extensive austerity measures have been in effect in the police. Affected are not only overtime but also material costs, construction projects, the brass bands in the state police directorates, recruitment bonuses, as well as the climate ticket and the free driver's license for police trainees. Currently, cuts in the basic reward are also said to be under consideration. The Ministry of the Interior justified the cuts in March with the then still pending federal budget.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.