Applications to Join Police Rise in 2024, Ministry Reports

Applications to Join Police Rise in 2024, Ministry Reports

Vienna police during a presentation on their training in July, APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER

 

In the first six months of 2024, around 10,000 people applied to join the police, Austria’s Interior Ministry has announced.

“I am looking forward to soon welcoming the 40,000th employee in our department,” Karl Hutter, head of the ministry’s department responsible for personnel matters, said during a press conference. “32,635 of them are police officers, an all-time high.”

Hutter admitted that not everyone who applies is accepted into the police academy but pointed out that the acceptance rate has significantly improved, partly due to some relaxation in the criteria, including allowing visible tattoos, which previously prospective police officers were not permitted to have.

Currently, between one in three and one in four applicants is accepted.

Additional incentives include a free Climate Ticket, which is a unified public transport pass for all of Austria, as well as bonuses for officers who bring in new applicants. In Vienna, there is also the possibility of obtaining affordable housing.

More than 3,000 of the 10,000 applications in the first half of the year were registered in Vienna, nearly tripling the numbers compared to the same period last year.

This increase is a much-needed boost as the Vienna police force is forecast to lose about 180 to 190 officers annually until 2028 due to retirement.

Currently, Vienna has around 7,200 officers, who handle over a third of Austria’s crime rate.

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