More powers

Public order service may soon also punish

In future, municipal law enforcement officers will be able to intervene more effectively in the event of rioting and also impose penalties.(Bild: Doris_SEEBACHER)

The state is responding to an initiative from Wiener Neustadt: in future, municipal security guards will be able to take more action against rioters. So-called public order services in Lower Austria will be given more powers and will then also be allowed to check IDs and impose penalties. 

The law has been in place since Tuesday and will be passed by the state parliament on January 30: So-called security services in Lower Austria will be given more powers. At present, these security guards are only responsible for monitoring parking spaces. Otherwise, they are only allowed to mediate and issue warnings in the event of conflicts. In future, they will also be able to carry out ID checks and even impose fines in the event of disturbances of the peace, breaches of decorum and similar offenses.

Initiative from Wiener Neustadt has been taken up
Wiener Neustadt's mayor Klaus Schneeberger is pleased that his initiative has been taken up. "We will immediately start preparing measures to restructure our public order service. This ranges from a reform of training to considerations for a base in the city center."

FPÖ city councillor Philipp Gerstenmayer also welcomes the upgrade: "Especially in Wiener Neustadt with its thriving nightlife, it is worth a lot to be able to intervene in the event of misconduct."