Police officer under scrutiny

Serious allegations of bullying against senior official

The case is being investigated internally by the Styrian Provincial Police Directorate.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

A high-ranking Styrian police officer is alleged to have harassed a department head for years and even had her spied on. Forty-three incidents are listed in a complaint. An internal investigation into the allegations is underway.

The complaint against a high-ranking police officer, which slipped into the general email inbox of the State Police Directorate (LPD) and was thus accessible to numerous employees, is causing a stir. Joint research by "Steirerkrone" and APA revealed that a department head has made allegations of bullying against her superior, who has already been disciplined once before.

"Bullying diary" kept
The woman herself had also been found guilty in proceedings by the federal disciplinary authority: her deputy, who is said to be well disposed towards the superior in question, felt denounced by her. However, she lodged an appeal against this – and was subsequently acquitted by the Federal Administrative Court. The judges of the Senate were irritated by the fact that the deputy had kept a "bullying diary" against her boss from her first day at work, which was to be "viewed with particular caution."

Employee spied on?
The list of allegations against the senior Styrian official now comprises 43 points. Some of the situations described are hair-raising: among other things, he allegedly did not allow his employee to attend the funeral of a colleague, on the grounds that she should first "complete her tasks." According to the complaint, he himself did attend the funeral and spoke ill of her there.

The case is being investigated internally by the Styrian Provincial Police Directorate.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

In addition, the officer allegedly had his deputy "spy" on her. And: he revoked instructions she had given without informing her and completely stopped personal conversations. At his birthday breakfast, he is also said to have greeted everyone except the person concerned.

On one occasion, she was reprimanded by her superior for not informing him about a business trip to Vienna. However, it turned out that she had indeed informed him about it. According to the complaint, her boss's response was that he couldn't remember everything...

The allegations are based on the personal assessment of the department head and are naturally subjective.

Der beschuldigte Spitzenbeamte

"Manager relieved of supervisory duties"
Lawyer Andreas Kleinbichler, who represents the woman concerned, did not want to comment for the time being. However, the accused did speak out, referring to "subjective, incorrect allegations" against him and pointing out the need for improvement in communication in her department.

Styrian police chief Gerald Ortner, on the other hand, asserts that there had been several discussions, but that these had not led to a "sustainable solution." Until the matter has been clarified, the accused has been relieved of his supervisory duties toward the woman.

The manager confronted with the allegations has been relieved of his duties and professional supervision of the employee in question until the matter has been clarified.

Landespolizeidirektor Gerald Ortner

Incidentally, the case is being investigated internally by the LPD. The investigator is not biased, as they belong to a different department than the accused.