Summit in Graz

New special unit against juvenile delinquency

The Styrian police have had a new task force against youth crime since March (symbolic image).

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut, Krone KREATIV)

In the fight against rising youth crime, the Styrian police are now relying on a new task force, which has already recorded its first "successes". Meanwhile, Styrian Governor Christopher Drexler is calling for tougher penalties and has announced the establishment of a coordination office in the province.

On Monday afternoon, Governor Christopher Drexler made his way to Wildalpen to thank the emergency services who have been tirelessly fighting a forest fire for more than a week. Another hot topic in Styria is juvenile delinquency. For this reason, the Provincial Minister of the Interior invited experts from various fields to a round table in Graz Castle last Friday.

At Graz Castle, LH Christopher Drexler discussed the topic of juvenile delinquency with experts.

(Bild: Land Steiermark)

It was there that he presented his conclusions from the discussion with the experts. "I'm in no way trying to play into a populist bandwagon. Rather, it is a question of acceptance of the norm. A question of whether people in our country still feel that the legal system is appropriate. Whether they still trust the rule of law," says Drexler. 

Closed residential facilities for young offenders
But what does his conclusion look like? On the one hand, he calls for higher penalties, especially for the increasingly younger offenders - "the expert panel repeatedly expressed the view that the general preventative effect of criminal law is low for young offenders". He wants to take an initiative in this regard towards Justice Minister Alma Zadić. Drexler also wants to strengthen school social work and family social work for prevention. In this regard, he also proposes the establishment of "closed residential facilities" for young offenders. Before serious crimes are committed, young people should receive educational support and be accompanied by social workers, for example.

Radicalization on the internet
Drexler's wish for more far-reaching possibilities for Internet monitoring also received support from the expert panel. "Radicalization on the internet is undeniable and ranges from anti-Semitism to right-wing extremism and Islamic extremism," said Susanne Pekler from the Neustart association, supporting his call in this regard. "What's more, even six to eight-year-olds watch hardcore porn and believe that this is how sexuality works," continues Pekler. Incidentally, Neustart supports 700 to 800 young people across Styria every year as part of its probation services.

In order to improve cooperation between the experts from the different areas, the governor wants to set up a coordination office in the province of Styria as soon as possible. "I assume that I will quickly reach an agreement on this with our coalition partner. Because the primary goal must be to prevent crime." With all these points, Drexler hopes to initiate a broad debate on criminal law and criminal procedural law in Austria.

Gerald Ortner, Styrian State Police Director.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The Styrian police have already reacted to the rise in juvenile crime (last year there were already 5800 suspects between the ages of 10 and 18 in Styria) and have set up a new task force. "In the last two weeks, 126 officers have been deployed in several priority operations," explains Provincial Police Director Gerald Ortner. There have been around 90 reports. "Of course, the main focus is on urban areas, which is why the Graz City Police Command now has 30 specially trained officers for this area." Incidentally, the offenses committed by young people who have committed crimes are broadly diversified and range from assault and damage to property to cybercrime.

Children need role models
However, child and youth advocate Denise Schiffrer-Barac also states: "Punishment alone is certainly not the last word in wisdom. It's much more about taking responsibility again as a society." In her view, the role model effect is crucial. "We mustn't forget that 80 percent of children and young people who use violence are also victims of violence themselves."