Drug scene shifts beyond Vienna protection zone

Parts of Vienna’s drug scene have moved to new meeting points since a protection zone was introduced around the Gumpendorfer Straße underground station, ORF reported. Police recorded 329 exclusion orders and 148 administrative offence reports in the zone by the end of July.

The Vienna Addiction and Drug Coordination service confirmed that the measures had partly displaced the scene. New gathering points have emerged just a few minutes’ walk from the zone, including Minna-Lachs-Park.

Mobile social workers are monitoring the changes and adapting their work, the service said. Since the measures began in May, teams of two have spent an average of 32 hours a week in and around the protection zone, visiting daily and, when necessary, several times a day to speak with people affected.

Residents of the new Sofie 7 housing quarter said repeated calls to police had prevented the scene from becoming established in its green spaces. One resident told ORF that many people had gathered there, apparently from Westbahnhof, and that discarded items including syringes had been a problem. The situation has since improved, she said, although people still return in the evenings.

The Gumpendorfer Straße U6 station remains a hotspot for drug use despite the shifts in location.

An alcohol ban has been in place since May in the public areas of Vienna’s Westbahnhof railway station and surrounding streets, including Felberstraße and Neubaugürtel. By the end of July, authorities had issued 16 on-the-spot fines and 171 reports, while 248 alcoholic drinks had been disposed of. Restaurants and snack stands are exempt.