Shortfall is higher

Emergency call: Many police officers only exist on paper

Staff alarm at the blue light organization

(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

The "Krone" newspaper has obtained explosive figures showing that there is still no sign of the police staffing situation in the Upper Styrian districts of Liezen and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag easing: Dozens of officer positions have not been filled! Styrian SPÖ member of parliament Michaela Grubesa criticizes the federal ÖVP.

Personnel alarm at the blue light organization! Last year, the "Krone" already put its finger in an open wound on several occasions: in Upper Styria in particular, the executive is running on empty in many places, and regional politicians made an emergency call. In January, ÖVP Interior Minister Gerhard Karner finally attended a security summit at Graz Castle and promised additional officers for our province.

But now, in the middle of the vacation season, the personnel discussion is flaring up again. The "Krone" has obtained explosive figures which show that the staffing situation in the districts of Liezen and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag has not yet eased: An internal calculation shows that there is a shortage of 35 full-time police officers in the Liezen inspectorates!

Michaela Grubesa, an elected representative from the Liezen district, criticizes: "There may be a peak in the number of police officers, but they are completely misallocated."

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

Many officers are on parental leave or sick leave 
Many are currently in part-time employment, on parental leave, on permanent sick leave, assigned to other departments or in a "special assignment" (for example in the criminal investigation department or in the on-call unit). The system appears to have a target number of 171 posts, while the regional police directorate only allows the district a shortfall of 18 (instead of 35) officers.

The situation in Bruck-Mürzzuschlag is no rosier. Here, 236 posts are planned - the actual number is 231 officers. And according to the internal paper, only 195 can actually go on missions.

In districts with high staff turnover, we rely on special recruitment measures on site.

Gernot Sattler, Landespolizeidirektion

Bild: LPD Stmk./Martinelli

Gernot Sattler from the provincial police directorate confirms the "official" shortfall of 18 police officers in Liezen - however, a total of ten additional officers will be transferred to the district this year.

In Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, 208 of the 236 planned law enforcement officers are "available for duty". The shortfall of 28 employees will also be reduced to 18 in 2024 with ten new police officers. In addition, according to Sattler, 211 people have already started police training this year.

SPÖ-Grubesa: "Show and law-and-order policy"
SPÖ Member of Parliament Michaela Grubesa criticizes the incorrect distribution of law enforcement personnel in Styria, saying that the federal ÖVP is primarily focusing on "show and law-and-order politics". "You can take as many measures as you like, especially in the area of violence protection - but if there are not enough officers to, for example, check that aggressive men are being turned away, it becomes very dangerous."