
When the crime statistics are published in the coming weeks, a trend reversal in cybercrime is expected. For the first time, there will be a slight decrease in reports in 2024 compared to 2023. This was stated by the Director of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK), Andreas Holzer, to journalists. Holzer was appointed BK Director exactly four years ago on Saturday, and next year, his contract will be up for renewal after five years.
Holzer was appointed BK Director on February 1, 2021. His goal, as he stated now, was to make the Federal Criminal Police Office future-proof and to expand international cooperation. Additionally, the BK was to—and still is—be established as the central coordination office for criminal police work.
“I don’t want to preempt the presentation of the crime statistics—but what is declining is internet fraud,” explained Holzer. While the numbers in cybercrime in the narrower sense, such as hacker attacks, have remained largely constant, those in the broader area, where the internet is used as a communication platform or a means to commit crimes, have decreased. The reasons for this decline need to be examined in detail, and the reference period is still too short. However, “unscientifically— we have already done a lot in terms of prevention and investigations in this area and reached many target groups,” emphasized Holzer. Reports of cybercrimes have decreased by about six percent from 65,864 in 2023. Reports of child abuse images are also slightly on the decline.
Around 530,000 Criminal Reports Last Year: Slight Increase Compared to 2023
The decrease in this criminal area is notable, as crime statistics have shown significant increases every year. For overall crime, the BK Chief expects a slightly rising trend. Around 530,000 crimes and about 330,000 suspects are expected. More than one-third of criminal reports—around 36 percent—concern the capital city, Vienna. Of the 330,000 suspects, around 100,000 were investigated in Vienna. According to Holzer, the clearance rate will be above 50 percent nationwide.
47 percent of suspects, according to the BK Director, are foreign nationals. Compared to the past decade (2015 to 2024), the proportion of foreign suspects has increased by about 10 percent. The most common nationality among suspects in 2023 was Romanian, followed by Germans. Syrians ranked third: “This was not the case in 2015. They were not among the top ten,” said Holzer. There were many foreign suspects from Syria involved in thefts, burglaries, and bodily harm. An increase was also noted in drug-related crimes, where non-Austrian citizens appeared as both consumers and dealers.
More Reports of Organized Crime Due to Operation Achilles
In traditional crimes, most cases show a decreasing trend. Holzer pointed to two areas with an opposing trend. “Notably, there has been a significant increase in car break-ins.” Additionally, there were strong increases in the area of criminal organizations and organized crime—i.e., reports according to sections 278 and 278a of the Criminal Code. This is primarily due to the activities of AG Achilles. For several years, they have been going through a mass of chats from crypto-messaging services, provided to them by cooperating investigative agencies. Investigations are ongoing against about 7,000 suspects in Austria. The crimes range from murder, extortion, and kidnapping to international drug trafficking. “The clearance rate for organized crime (OC) is around 80 percent,” summarized Holzer.
Monitoring Messaging Services Is a Must
Regarding OC investigations, the BK Director renewed his demand for the ability to monitor messaging services: “This is a must. Not having this ability is a disaster. Who among the criminals still uses classic phones?” Holzer asked. Phone surveillance is, by the way, permissible. He pointed to many security levels that are in place, from the public prosecutor’s request to judicial orders to a legal protection officer. “I also demand this for the protection of the population. How can they expect the police to work in a timely manner if they don’t have the proper powers?” said the BK Director.
International cooperation is also at risk if investigators are not granted the ability to monitor messaging services, Holzer said. “It’s a give-and-take. If foreign partners always provide something and never receive anything, they will eventually think they have nothing to gain from this cooperation. We maintain the system because they appreciate our expertise and like us.”
Increasing Numbers of Juvenile Offenders, Not Just in Vienna
The BK Director is concerned about the increasing number of juvenile offenders. “This is not just a problem in Vienna, but all federal states have a problem in this area.” He was skeptical about the discussion during the National Council election campaign regarding lowering the age of criminal responsibility. “Just solving it through criminal law, in my opinion, is not enough,” said Holzer. “The measure alone fills up prisons but does not change behavior. Therefore, we need to look at how this can be supported at a societal level.” The problem, he believes, cannot be solved solely through police measures.
When Holzer took office four years ago, he did so with the vision of making the Federal Criminal Police Office—which his predecessor Franz Lang had handed over in very good condition—future-proof. The BK is the “central service department of the criminal services with over 800 employees in eight departments”—seven regular and the department for human trafficking and smuggling, which Holzer wants to quickly make a regular department. One of his main goals is the further establishment of the Cybercrime Competence Center C4, “which has now gained high regard” and which Holzer also sees as one of the factors contributing to the reduction of crime in this area.
Implementation of the Criminal Services Reform “Essential for the Future”
The criminal services reform, presented in early September 2023, is still in progress. According to Holzer, most criminal assistant positions in the federal states have been set up. In Linz, there is already a cybercrime training center, from which Holzer expects much for police officer training. This is being gradually implemented in all federal states. There are also collaborations with three business academies—in Tamsweg (Salzburg), Horn (Lower Austria), and Vienna-Floridsdorf—to inspire students for police work, especially for cyber investigation, before they enter professional life. This—along with collaborations with universities—aims to partly offset the competitive disadvantage in the battle for the best cyber experts, particularly regarding starting salaries. “Anyone with two, three, or four years at the Federal Criminal Police Office on their resume will get a boost,” Holzer is convinced.
What is clear to Holzer, regardless of the future political constellation in Austria and the Ministry of the Interior, is that “the implementation of the reform is essential for the future.” It is also clear to the BK Director that this does not necessarily have to be tied to his person: “The Federal Criminal Police Office will not collapse if I am no longer here,” he said regarding the upcoming renewal of his contract next year. “Of course, I would like to continue; there is still a lot to implement, and I am passionate about Austrian criminal police work.”