Justice was tougher

Ex-con at Linz police school cannot be dismissed

The "black sheep" was discovered during shooting training, as ex-colleagues from the judiciary were also present and recognized him.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

A police trainee in Linz concealed his criminal past and this can no longer be held against him. This apparently means that he cannot be dismissed and can continue to wear his uniform. Five years ago, however, the judiciary did not hesitate for long with the same pupil.

The judiciary diagnosed a "lack of aptitude" in an Upper Austrian who had "forgotten" to mention his criminal past when he was admitted - but this came to light thanks to a tip from outside. This was followed by his immediate expulsion, as the "Krone" reported exactly five years ago. Now the same man managed to pass the security check again - this time with the police - and, as reported, is now in the Linz police academy.

"An absolutely isolated case"
However, the police are having a hard time deciding to expel the student, who was convicted of drug dealing in Germany. The reason: the sentence - he served one year in prison and had served years and seven months - has been erased from the register. This means that if he is dismissed, a complaint to the labor court would be conceivable. "The authorities didn't even have the opportunity to obtain information about his previous life," was the response to a Krone inquiry. And that it was "an absolutely isolated case". However, it is a regular occurrence for people with a criminal record to apply to the police. If a criminal record appears in the character reference, this is an absolute reason for rejection.

Ex-colleagues recognized him at the shooting range
The young police officer, who had been appointed late in life, was discovered because a shooting training session had taken place in Sattledt with ex-colleagues from the police station and they wondered aloud about his new career path.

A security check in the police selection process cannot and will not determine whether a person has already served a sentence abroad many years ago.

Auskunft der Landespolizeidirektion OÖ

That's how quickly you get kicked out of the executive
A few examples show how quickly the police in Upper Austria react to misconduct by active officers: Seven years ago, for example, a police officer who stole expensive clothing and, when he was caught, had used a false name was kicked out just a few years before retirement. The officer also lost his pension entitlements when he was dismissed. Four years ago, a police officer from the State Office of Criminal Investigation lost his job after insulting and threatening colleagues while intoxicated. More recently, a police officer who dealt drugs lost his job: he was sentenced in Wels to 30 months in prison, ten of which were unconditional. The loss of job is "included" for sentences of more than one year.