“Krone” reveals

Pension Earthquake: Investigators No Longer Considered Manual Laborers

Patrol officers retiring five years earlier than their colleagues in the criminal investigation division—there is huge uproar over new decrees from the state police directorates.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta, APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)

Pension shock over a two-tier system in the police force: Suddenly, colleagues on patrol duty may be eligible for the heavy labor pension five years earlier than criminal investigators. Even though they, too, risk their lives every day for our safety. “Krone” reveals the explosive background.

Uproar in the ranks of law enforcement: Criminal investigators recently received a negative decision regarding the heavy laborer pension scheme. In short: Anyone who has spent at least ten years in field service starting at age 40 is eligible for early retirement at age 60.

Exceeds the threshold of generally accepted risk
"Heavy labor" refers to activities involving increased risk, where the actual, regular risk to life and limb during duty significantly exceeds the threshold of generally accepted danger.

Criminal police work suddenly no longer serves to maintain security
But suddenly, letters from state police headquarters to those affected stated verbatim that “investigations conducted that are exclusively attributable to the criminal police executive service do NOT serve to maintain public peace, order, and security.”

Retiring five years earlier than criminal investigation colleagues in patrol duty—huge uproar over new decrees from state police headquarters.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta, APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)

So those working in uniformed patrol duty may retire five years earlier than investigators or crime scene specialists who pursue offenders and solve crimes. In the future, they will no longer be considered “hard workers.” 

Passage to be amended
The uproar was understandably loud, given that there are thousands of criminal investigators—and it also reached the ears of the “Krone.” The Ministry of the Interior responded quickly to our inquiry. The passage regarding heavy labor is to be corrected in a circular, thereby abolishing the organizational two-tier pension system. The clear goal, according to a spokesperson: “It is not decisive which department or police station you worked in, but what you did there.”