High risk situation
Police brace themselves for New Year’s Eve
The days when most police officers are on duty in Austria: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. This will also be the case this year, says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). The threat level is still high. Lessons have been learned from attacks like the one in Magdeburg. But the focus is also on illegal fireworks.
"I can assure you at this point that the police will do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the population," said Karner at a press conference on Monday. They want to take "robust" action against dangerous individuals and rioters, take them out of circulation and also punish them. As far as extremism is concerned, the terror alert level is still at 4 out of 5.
I can assure you at this point that the police will do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the population.
Innenminister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP)
In general, preparations have been underway for weeks, with uniformed officers cooperating with the State Security Service and special units.
New Year's Eve trail will be the focus of operations
Neither Karner nor Federal Police Director Michael Takács wanted to reveal how many police officers will be on duty. However, they are sufficiently equipped. The main focus of operations will be the Vienna New Year's Eve Trail, emphasized Karner. Not only officers from Vienna, but also task forces from Burgenland, Lower Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia were deployed here. Special units and task forces would operate visibly in a similar way to the Christmas markets, but civilian investigators and new technical means such as drones would also be used.
Sylvia Mayer, Deputy Head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), explained that Islamist terrorism and extremism had been the main focus of state security in the past year. She recalled the prevented attacks on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna and the arrest in Salzburg at the beginning of December. There are currently no concrete indications of danger for New Year's Eve. However, an acute risk must always be assumed for events with a high symbolic value.
"Firecrackers are not pranks"
The police are also focusing on illegal fireworks and firecrackers. There are clear rules, and illegal use is not a trivial offense, according to Interior Minister Karner: "These are no pranks, they can become a deadly danger." The police will act consistently on New Year's Eve.
According to Takács, there is a threat of fines of 30 to 50 euros, charges of up to 3,600 euros and fines of up to 10,000 euros for traders selling illegal pyrotechnics or selling to unauthorized persons. Since November, around 10,000 illegal items have already been confiscated, with 1.3 to 1.4 tons of "quasi-explosive material".
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