New Year's Eve trail

Large police force to protect the city tomorrow

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) together with Vienna's Chief of Police Gerhard Pürstl on a tour of the city.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

The police are increasing their presence on and around the New Year's Eve trail. The focus is on the city center. "Everything humanly possible is being done to ensure safe celebrations".

Everything is still quiet in the city, the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle has died down. But preparations for the New Year's Eve Trail are in full swing. 800,000 people visited the spectacle last year. Of course, such a mega event also harbors security risks. The precautions in this regard are extensive, not least due to the ongoing terror alert level 4.

In addition to 400 security guards provided by the organizer, i.e. the City of Vienna, hundreds of police officers are also on duty on New Year's Eve. Reinforcement for the large-scale operation comes from the provinces.

During a press tour, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) thanked the many police officers for their commitment to ensuring a safe New Year's Eve. But how safe is the city center really? Are we prepared for possible attacks such as the one at the Christmas market in Magdeburg? "As with the Christmas markets, we will do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of those celebrating," emphasizes Karner.

In the operations center, officers can follow events via video camera.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Police chief Gerhard Pürstl adds: "We set up fixed barriers at hotspots such as Rathausplatz years ago."

However, there are no bollards at Graben and the respective access lanes as well as Stephansplatz, as a local inspection shows.

Fire extinguishers are available in case of emergency.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

According to the Minister of the Interior, there is also "zero tolerance" for violations of the ban on pyrotechnics, as this "is not a trivial offense" and offenders must expect considerable (financial) penalties. The police have been in action for weeks, particularly on the border with the Czech Republic, where 4,000 illegal pyrotechnic objects were seized (see also p. 16). However, checks will continue on New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve will certainly not be relaxing for the police officers and officers on duty, but hopefully without any major incidents.