During the discussion in the Federal Council, Lower Austrian Federal Councillor Matthias Zauner rejected the SPÖ's criticism and described it as comparing apples and oranges. He stressed that the SPÖ's different requests led to different results because different parameters were used. Zauner emphasized that the police had taken numerous measures in the area of recruiting, which is reflected in the increase in admissions in the first half of 2024. While 470 police officers were admitted to basic training in the first half of 2023, this number rose to over 1,300 in 2024, which corresponds to a tripling.
The number of police officers reached an all-time high of over 32,000. Zauner also praised the modern equipment of the Austrian police, especially in the area of individual equipment such as ballistic vests, body cameras, iPhones, tablets and special vehicles. According to Zauner, Austria is one of the three safest countries in the world according to the current Global Peace Index, in third place behind Ireland and Iceland.
Zauner also criticized the SPÖ on security issues and described them as not credible. In contrast, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stands for more security and acts in the interests of the Austrian people. Zauner concluded his remarks in the Federal Council by thanking the executive for their important work.
Source: die-nachrichten.at
