Salzburg police face 500,000-euro bill for Super Cup security

The UEFA Super Cup final brought about 30,000 football fans to Salzburg on Wednesday, with no major incidents reported, ORF reported. Police nevertheless closed Rudolfskai street overnight for several hours on security grounds, while the event’s overall security operation is expected to cost at least 500,000 euros.

Hundreds of police officers had been deployed in and around Salzburg since Tuesday. The operation included the provincial traffic department, an operational unit, the Rapid Intervention Group, a standby unit, the Cobra special unit, police helicopters, drones and counter-drone systems.

Officers from Carinthia, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna were also brought in to support Salzburg police, including members of several special units.

Under rates set by the Security Police Act, each started half-hour of an officer’s deployment costs 13 euros. A police vehicle costs 13 euros per hour, while a police helicopter and its crew cost 53 euros per minute.

Salzburg’s police director, Bernhard Rausch, confirmed that the costs must be covered by the Salzburg police directorate’s regular budget.

“The taxpayer has to cover these costs,” Rausch said. He added that the directorate receives a fixed budget each year and must operate within it.

After the match, hundreds of fans moved to Rudolfskai, a street with bars and restaurants, to continue celebrating. Police said the street had to be closed temporarily for several hours, but reported no disorder or other problems there.