Thanks to personnel campaign

Police recruitment boom: increase of 80 percent

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner attributes the increase to a "mix of measures". The aim is to "understand" Generation Z and Alpha.

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

The police personnel campaign is likely to have an effect. Since 2022, both applications and admissions have risen by 80 percent, explained Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) on Friday. While 6,500 people applied two years ago, this year there were 11,500. 

"Like all employers, our aim is to understand and attract Generation Z and Generation Alpha," said the head of department. Karner attributes the increase to a "mix of measures".

More opportunities, fewer regulations
This year, 2,600 people were accepted into basic training - in 2022 there were 1,450. During training, there is now more pay, the climate ticket and the opportunity to obtain a driving license. In addition, the rules on visible tattoos have been relaxed, as they no longer have to be an exclusion criterion. In addition, social media campaigns are to be used to attract new police recruits.

Vienna and Ländle need to catch up
The Minister of the Interior explained that Vienna and Vorarlberg in particular needed to catch up in terms of personnel, which is why additional recruitment measures were required there. Nevertheless, a positive balance was drawn for the capital. There were 350 police students in Vienna in 2022, now there are 845. Two recruitment offices were previously set up in Vienna, with recruiting teams being sent to schools, for example.

Modern equipment and protective measures are also intended to make the police profession more attractive. Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security, emphasized a focus "on technical equipment, prevention work, IT investigations and IT forensics". There will be a total of nine training centers for cybercrime in Austria in the future.

Meanwhile, Federal Police Director Michael Takacs announced that new patrol vehicles are to be installed in all police stations over the next three years. In the meantime, a modern striking and stabbing protection system has also been procured for law enforcement officers.