In the course of reform

Tyrolean police to cut five police stations

The police station in Kundl will also close.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/zoom.tirol)

There will be a slight reduction in police stations in Tyrol as part of a structural reform starting in spring. Five small stations will be merged with neighboring stations, leaving 58 inspectorates across Tyrol, announced provincial police director Helmut Tomac on Wednesday. In addition, 75 additional jobs and 56 posts would be created in the criminal investigation department and traffic management.

Tomac cited an intended increase in the attractiveness of the workplace and new demands on police work as reasons for the dissolution of the five small departments. The reform includes the closure of the police stations in Kappl and Nauders (Landeck district), Mutters and Rum (Innsbruck Land district) and Kundl (Kufstein district). The staff at these locations will be transferred to mostly larger, neighboring inspectorates, according to Tomac. "Not a single job will be cut, but existing resources will be used more effectively," emphasized the provincial police director.

We need modern structures that are in tune with the times.

Landespolizeidirektor Helmut Tomac

New criminal investigation departments and positions for traffic management would be created and specialists for cybercrime would be trained. There are particular challenges in traffic, for example, he emphasized. In the Wipptal valley in particular, preparations are being made for a turbulent volume of traffic in the coming years. "We have to ensure that the Wipptal valley is not paralyzed due to the construction work on the Luegbrücke bridge," explained Tomac. In cooperation with the highway operator Asfinag and the state of Tyrol, efforts are therefore being made to protect the Wipptal population from traffic chaos. Due to construction work and corresponding restrictions - such as the Luegbrücke bridge being partially single-lane - traffic management by the police will have to be stepped up in the coming years. In addition to monitoring departure routes, it is also the task of the police to monitor traffic in general and react to any problems as quickly as possible. A unit in Steinach with around twelve officers - ten additional police officers on peak days - would be set up for this purpose.

"At the cutting edge" of cybercrime
Tyrol will also receive additional units in the area of criminal investigation - keyword cybercrime. "We need modern structures that have their finger on the pulse," explained the provincial police director. Criminal assistance units with an additional 30 posts are being established in five regions. A Cybercrime Training Center (CCTC) with two additional posts is also being set up at the State Office of Criminal Investigation.

Less than three percent of first contacts with the Tyrolean police are physical.

Tirols Polizeichef Tomac

When asked about the subjective feeling of security among the population, Tomac pointed out that this is achieved "not through police buildings, but through increased patrol activity". In the municipalities where police stations will close, patrol activity would increase massively and officers would be ready for action at all times. "Less than three percent of initial contacts with the Tyrolean police take place physically," continued Tyrol's police chief. It is therefore clear that it is not the inspectorates but rather the patrol cars that are relevant for the safety of the population.

Reforms would be implemented promptly
"I think the parochial thinking is wrong," Tomac countered to individual community representatives who had criticized the closures. The state police director also pointed out that all those responsible were informed of the measures in good time. Although the reforms were not met with enthusiasm, the closures were met with understanding, said Tomac. The measures are to be implemented throughout Tyrol over the course of the spring.

Even before the police press conference, Tyrol's FPÖ provincial party chairman Markus Abwerzger had reacted to the structural reform in light of various media reports. He called on the police leadership to show "a sense of proportion and foresight" in any reforms and restructuring. The closures should "certainly not be at the expense of safety and the work of law enforcement officers".