Graz court stages unprecedented emergency drill

Several emergency organisations are due to hold a large-scale drill at Graz’s Regional Court for Criminal Matters on Friday, closing the court and the Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office to the public for the afternoon, ORF reported. No hearings will take place.

The exercise is scheduled to begin around midday at the court on Conrad-von-Hötzendorf-Straße and run until late afternoon. The court described it as a complex exercise involving Einsatzkommando Cobra, the Styrian State Police Directorate, the Österreichischer Wachdienst security service, the Austrian Red Cross, the City of Graz, the court, the prosecutor’s office and Graz-Jakomini Prison.

Police presence around the courthouse is expected to increase, and residents should expect more noise. According to Cobra, the exercise is unique in Austria and is the first of this scale at the Graz court. The court plans to publicly review the drill after it ends, expected at about 5 p.m.