Even in supermarkets

Already thousands of security guards because brutality is on the rise

Wiener Linien and ÖBB have been using security staff for years.(Bild: Martin Jöchl, Robert Peres, Krone KREATIV)

Public transport, hospitals, retail: more and more companies are relying on security staff, even in hospitals and supermarkets.

Just 20 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine security staff in discount stores, hospitals or accompanying conductors on trains. Today, however, this is part of everyday life. More and more companies are enlisting the support of security personnel.

There are 17,311 employees in the security industry throughout Austria. And the trend is rising! In 2014, there were still 14,257 employees. As the need for security increases, so does the pressure on security personnel. There are now training courses lasting several days for security guards who also work in hospitals, for example. Between three and ten security officers are on duty around the clock at each of the hospitals in the Vienna Healthcare Association.

Surveillance personnel are also on duty in shopping centers.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

"In view of the increasing requirements, we have increased the number of employees in recent years," explains a spokeswoman. They are mainly deployed in the event of breaches of the house rules, for example when homeless people are in the building, and in the ambulances, for example when intoxicated patients are admitted or threats and damage to property are made.

In Vienna, 167 security officers work for ÖBB at the station and 20 on the trains. "In recent years, there has been a slight increase in the willingness of individuals to engage in conflict," they say. For this reason, regular coordination meetings are held with the police to discuss any measures that may be necessary.

The 330 security guards at Wiener Linien are confronted with frequent assaults (168 in 2023). The company charges the perpetrators for the costs incurred due to sick leave of the security staff and also claims these costs if necessary.