Doskozil rejects police reform and Vienna staff transfers

Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil has sharply criticised planned police reforms, saying they would worsen working conditions for officers, ORF reported. He also rejected plans to transfer police officers from Burgenland to Vienna to address staffing shortages there.

What was being presented as “modernisation” would mean more weekend shifts, less predictable free time, fewer consecutive rest periods and, in the worst case, lower incomes, Doskozil said on Facebook on Thursday. “I was a police officer myself,” he said, adding that officers deserved fair working conditions and a reliable income.

Doskozil said cooperation during exceptional operations was of course necessary, but staffing problems could not be solved permanently “by creating new gaps elsewhere”. He was particularly angered that the model would begin on September 1 even though those affected had raised concerns for months. The Interior Ministry must closely monitor the trial and make adjustments if the fears prove justified, he said.