Controversial appointment

Did friendly service decide the “duel for Wels”?

It has now been decided whether Stefan Müller or Hermann Krenn will head the police force in Wels. And this decision is not without controversy.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/ Land OÖ Stinglmayr Stadt Wels Tourismusverband Region Wels (Credit für Stadtbild) Andi Schiel (Polizeischild))

When it came to appointing the new police chief of Wels, Vienna snubbed the Upper Austrian provincial police force, which - rarely in agreement - had recommended its long-serving candidate. But he was obviously the wrong color and his competitor had at least one good friend from police school days. A political issue à la "business as usual", say critics.

Did a service between friends who went to police school together decide who would become chief of police in Wels? On Wednesday, it was announced that Stefan Müller had been appointed by the Minister of the Interior - overriding the rarely unanimous recommendation of the Upper Austrian state police command, including staff representatives and the specialist and central committees, for Hermann Krenn, who had been interim chief for nine months.