Police Abuse Investigations: Only Two Charges in 514 Cases

Police Abuse Investigations: Only Two Charges in 514 Cases

Image: APA/FLORIAN WIESER

 

Charges have been brought in just two out of 514 cases of alleged police abuse and violence reported to the Investigation and Complaints Office for Allegations of Abuse (EBM), which was set up within the Ministry of the Interior a year ago.

By 16 January 2025, around three-quarters of these cases had been concluded, according to the ministry. Approximately 80% of the cases were filed within the jurisdiction of the Vienna public prosecutor’s office.

Meinrad Handstanger, chairman of the EBM’s independent advisory board, said that 505 procedures related to allegations of mistreatment, with nine cases involving police use of firearms linked to life-threatening situations or fatalities. Of these, 392 procedures were legally concluded: 187 cases were dropped by the public prosecutors, and in 202 cases, no investigation was initiated.

The human rights organisation Amnesty International expressed general satisfaction with the EBM.

“The high number of reviewed cases shows that the office is necessary. But it also shows that more staff is needed,” said Shoura Hashemi, Executive Director of Amnesty International Austria. The EBM should not be seen as a “whistleblowing office,” as some police officers might initially view it, but rather as a helpful clearing house for officers wrongly accused. “It helps with transparency externally and raises awareness internally that allegations are thoroughly investigated by a professional investigative body.”

However, Amnesty continues to criticise the office’s location within the Ministry of the Interior, arguing that this arrangement gives the sitting interior minister some degree of directive power.

In response to criticism of the fairness of the investigations, the ministry stated on Monday that claims of biased investigations had been “demonstrably disproven by the report from the independent and neutral office.” It added, “The new office also concludes that the overwhelming majority of abuse allegations are not substantiated or verifiable.”

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