Residents are afraid

Gang of youths terrorizes the entire estate

Several garbage containers were set on fire. Violent assaults also increased in the neighborhood.(Bild: zVg)

In the Nordrandsiedlung housing estate in Floridsdorf, a number of juvenile delinquents are up to mischief - the residents are terrified. But the police and the district are now reacting.

The Nordrandsiedlung in the 21st district in the north of the city is actually a quiet area. But for several weeks now, young people with criminal records, some with a migration background, have been causing fear through vandalism and coercion.

Former district councillor Hans Jörg Schimanek is also alarmed: "The residents here are afraid. Especially children and older people." There are also regular burning garbage containers, presumably caused by arson. Investigations into this are underway, according to the professional fire department (MA68).

In some of the incidents, waste containers or waste paper containers were damaged by fire and investigations are ongoing.(Bild: zVg)

Police patrols massively increased
The incidents in the Nordrandsiedlung area and an increased level of complaints in this area are known to the Vienna police. For months now, the Floridsdorf municipal police command has been maintaining an intensive exchange with various stakeholders, such as social institutions, MA 11, the education directorate and the district heads," it said in response to a Krone inquiry. Police patrols have therefore been massively increased and the young people in the Nordrandsiedlung have been under high control pressure in public spaces for months, according to the Krone.

The district has also reacted. Together with the City of Vienna's housing partners and the district police, a "yard talk" was held. "The fact is that the police are responsible for maintaining public safety, but if there is no age of criminal responsibility, other mechanisms must also take effect," says district head Georg Papai (SPÖ).

The area around the BILLA store in the Nordrandsiedlung in the 21st district has become a danger zone.(Bild: zVg)

The legal possibility must be created to implement measures that restrict freedom for young people who have not yet reached the age of criminal responsibility as part of a socialization programme. "From 2025, we will finance our own mobile fair play team from the district budget, which will be deployed specifically at hotspots in order to recognize and contain conflicts such as those we are currently experiencing at an early stage," says Papai.