Law enforcement in Austria

Law enforcement inAustriais the responsibility of the Directorate General for Public Security, a subdivision of theFederal Ministry of the Interiorlocated at Herrengasse 7 inVienna.Over 20,000policeofficers are on duty in the Federal Police at more than 1,000 police stations.On lakes and rivers the federal police has over 70 boats and other craft to act as thewater police.

Federal PoliceVolkswagen Sharan

Military PoliceVolkswagen Golf

Law enforcement agencies

Federal

Ministry of Defence

• Military Police(‹See Tfd›German:Militärpolizei): themilitary policeof theAustrian Armed Forces

Financial PoliceSkoda Octavia

Ministry of Finance

• Financial Police(‹See Tfd›German:Finanzpolizei): the uniformed law enforcement arm of theMinistry of Finance
• Customs Service(‹See Tfd›German:Operative Zollaufsicht)

Armoured vehicleSonderwagen 4of the Federal Police

Ministry of the Interior

TheMinistry of the Interioris responsible for:

• Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption(‹See Tfd›German:Bundesamt zur Korruptionsprävention und Korruptionsbekämpfung)
• Directorate General for the Public Security(‹See Tfd›German:Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit (GDföS))
  • Criminal Police Office(‹See Tfd›German:Bundeskriminalamt (BK))
  • Federal Police(‹See Tfd›German:Bundespolizei): divided into 83districtpolice commands and 27citypolice commands
  • Einsatzkommando Cobra(EKO Cobra): federalSWATand special forces unit
  • Air Police(‹See Tfd›German:Flugpolizei): responsible for law enforcement in the air, including the provision ofpolice helicopters

Standard vehicle of the Justizwache

Ministry of Justice

• Judicial Guard(‹See Tfd›German:Justizwache): responsible for runningprisonsand providing security atcourtfacilities

State

In general, the nineStates of Austriado not operate state law enforcement agencies, except in their specific areas of competence, namelynature conservationandwildlife protection.

• Tyrol
  • Tyrolean Mountain Guards(‹See Tfd›German:Tiroler Bergwacht) enforce conservation and wildlife protection laws in the state ofTyrol.

Municipalities

Main article:Municipal police (Austria)

Some Austrianmunicipalitiesoperate a form of municipal law enforcement agency. In some municipalities, this is known as the City Police (‹See Tfd›German:Stadtpolizei), or sometimes Community Police (‹See Tfd›German:Gemeindepolizei) or Community Security Guard (‹See Tfd›German:Gemeindesicherheitswache). In others, responsibility for policing lies with the federal government and municipalities cannot call these agencies "police", instead naming them "order offices" (‹See Tfd›German:Ordnungsamt, Ordnungswache), similar in function to abylaw enforcement officerorcode enforcement.In some cases, these organisations are established as private corporations, owned by the municipality, such as the Security Service (‹See Tfd›German:Ordnungsdienst) ofLinz.

Requirements for police officers

Police officers in Austria must meet certain requirements. These requirements include being at least 18 years of age, Austrian citizenship, an ability to act (not burdened by physical disability), impeccable reputation, Class B driver's licence, if conscripted to the armed forces, to have completed that conscription, and a swimming badge to prove swimming ability.

See also

• Anti-corruption agency
• Crime in Austria
• List of law enforcement agencies

External links

• (in German)Bundeskriminalamt
• (in German)Polizei