There is almost everything

First online store for all police officers in the country

Michael Bauer (left) and Claus Wolkersdorfer founded "shop4cops" in December last year.

(Bild: Dostal Harald)

A police officer must always be equipped for everything. Many things, such as uniforms and service weapons, are provided by the state. Until now, their friends and helpers have had to buy everything else from various sources.

But that is now a thing of the past: shortly after Christmas 2023, "shop4cops" went online - Austria's first online store for the police, armed forces and justice system, founded by two neighbors in Katsdorf. Here, police officers can find (almost) everything they could wish for: from gloves and magazine pouches to nutritional supplements, steel-toed boots and reinforced pants.

Inventors even in the executive branch
The product selection is hand-picked: Michael Bauer, one of the two founders, can look back on more than two decades of experience in law enforcement. The member of a special unit was already happy to order many products himself before that. "Michael approached me in the summer and suggested the idea of a police store," says Claus Wolkerstorfer. The man from Katsdorf is the second half of the team, an experienced online retailer and responsible for the technology. "Many people have written to us: 'When are you finally going online? The demand was correspondingly high right from the start," laughs Claus Wolkerstorfer.

Jackets and nutritional supplements
In the meantime, word of the site has spread within the police force. The greatest demand is for customizable clothing, nutritional supplements and microfleece jackets with police badges. "For these and some other products, customers have to identify themselves as police officers," says Wolkerstorfer. He stores bestsellers from the constantly growing store at home "so that shipping is even faster", says the man from Katsdorf.

Donations for a colleague
The site is currently collecting money for a good cause: "We are making an appeal for donations for a colleague whose partner and father of her three-month-old son recently passed away".