Safety spokesman:

“My wife dares to go for an ice cream again”

Security spokesman Christian Hursky (SPÖ) is a regular at the Tichy.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl)

A year ago, we met Christian Hursky, SPÖ safety spokesperson for the city, at Keplerplatz. At what was then a problem hotspot. It has since moved one subway station away. This time we meet at Reumannplatz in front of the Tichy ice cream parlor.  

"Krone":  How doyou feel about this place?
Christian Hursky: Good, I'm happy about the beautiful redesign of the square.

If it weren't for the almost daily knife attacks and violent scenes.
But that has improved a lot. The weapons ban zone and the increased police presence are already noticeable. Incidentally, there are also a lot of people in plain clothes.

And yet we are constantly reporting incidents, just last week there was another knife attack in a nearby park.
Every incident is one too many. But you have to give it time. Praterstern is the best example. A weapons ban zone was set up there in 2019 and today the square is safe.

The police have a presence at Reumannplatz - hopefully for even longer.

(Bild: Heinz Stephan Tesarek)

We met a young woman at Reumannplatz who said that the police presence makes her feel safe and hopes that the officers will stay. Is that the case?
The city will certainly insist on this. The fact is: we have a great need for skilled workers. The recruitment process is going well, but at the same time many are retiring. I can't guarantee that there will always be so many police on site.

The call for more police in Favoriten is nothing new - did something have to happen for people to react?
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner is the first - and I've seen seven ministers in my career - to take an interest in the problems in Vienna and take them seriously. To thank him, I invited him to Tichy. Without police protection.

Hursky in conversation with editor Kathi Mötzl

(Bild: Jöchl Martin/Martin Jöchl)

In the interview last year, you said that your wife wouldn't dare walk through Keplerpark. Would she now feel comfortable walking alone on Reumannplatz in the evening?
Yes. Thanks to the police presence, my wife dares to go for an ice cream again.

A 14-year-old girl told the "Krone" that she was "always scared on the way home", can you understand that?
Yes, I can, but I wonder what a 14-year-old girl is doing out so late. Besides, domestic violence is still the bigger problem. Although public violence is also on the increase. More and more young offenders are coming forward in this area, and tougher measures are needed.

Reducing the age of criminal responsibility, for example?
No, I don't want to see children behind bars. But parents must be held to account more severely.

How often do you go to Tichy?
Twice a week in the summer. I'm generally out and about a lot in the area. As a local politician, you have to get out and about.

Doyou like living in Favoriten?
I couldn't imagine anything better.