City takes action

Reumannplatz: New alliances and more police officers!

New three-party coalition for more security in the tenth district: Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos), Mayor Ludwig Michael (SPÖ) and ÖVP city councillor Karl Mahrer (from left to right)(Bild: Marcus Deak)

The SPÖ, Neos and ÖVP are now joining forces to restore safety in public spaces in Favoriten. A mobile office is to help.

The buzzing of a police drone opened the public media event at Reumannplatz on Thursday morning. The situation is serious: the central square in Favoriten has dominated the headlines on an almost daily basis following several recent bloodbaths.

But safety in public spaces is to be restored there. Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) presented a new mobile office of the Group for Immediate Measures and the police. The small truck at Reumannplatz is to serve as the first point of contact for the population until April 6, where people can enter into a dialog with city and police employees between 5 and 11 pm.

212,000 people

live in Favoriten. There are currently 413 police officers on duty in the tenth district.

Incidentally, the project was presented together with Karl Mahrer (ÖVP), who is not the incumbent city councillor. Which is a small sensation in itself: the city government together with the opposition. And the trio could appear even more often. Mayor Ludwig emphasized that there was no room for partisan haggling on this important issue and that he saw the security issue more broadly: "We see ourselves as guarantors of security in this city," the mayor made clear. That is why an ÖVP politician would also be here today. Incidentally, Vienna will soon be getting the police officers it has long been calling for, the mayor revealed. In a meeting with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (also ÖVP), the federal capital was promised more graduates from the police academy.

Mahrer himself also had reason to be pleased. The joint cooperation with the city is to continue. Mayor Ludwig wants to discuss his action plan to combat violence with him. And: the new weapons ban zone in the 10th district comes into force the day after tomorrow, Saturday - and it is larger than originally thought.

Weapons ban for Zentralfavoriten
The zone covers the entire area between the Platz der Kulturen near the main railway station, Reumannplatz and the entire Favoritner Straße pedestrian zone. The security police measure not only bans all classic weapons, but also "dangerous objects that are suitable and, under the circumstances, can be used to commit violence against people or property", it was emphasized. The ban will initially apply until June 30, 2024.