Vienna steps up Halloween policing to target illegal fireworks

Vienna police will deploy hundreds of additional officers on Halloween night, with illegal fireworks a key focus, ORF reports. Police searches were conducted before the holiday after social media posts called for violence and looting, and several suspects have been identified.

Officers in uniform and plain clothes will patrol the city, with checks planned in busy locations. Austria’s Interior Ministry said special units, including police dog and rapid-response teams, would support patrols across the country. Police also warned that the law banning face coverings applies to costumes.

Vienna police chief Gerhard Pürstl called Halloween a policing challenge, saying officers would act calmly but firmly where necessary. Vandalism, property damage, theft and threats against people will be reported and pursued, police said.

Using category F2 fireworks or higher is prohibited throughout Vienna. The category includes rockets and firecrackers, and police warned against buying or bringing such items into the city, particularly unauthorised fireworks, which can be especially dangerous.

Police are carrying out checks at borders and train stations to curb supplies of illegal firecrackers, many of which are bought in the Czech Republic. During a targeted operation near Floridsdorf station this month, officers seized 254 pyrotechnic items, focusing on trains arriving from the Czech Republic.

Residents of the Franz-Koch-Hof, a housing complex in Floridsdorf, say firecrackers have been set off there every night since the end of September. Police patrol the complex, and the city’s housing provider, Wiener Wohnen, has assigned community safety advisers. District head Georg Papai visited with police this week to remind residents of the ban.

An online petition launched in late 2023 calls for a nationwide fireworks ban and consistent enforcement. It has gathered more than 150,000 signatures. Co-initiator Christian Haslinger told ORF’s Wien heute that it was among the largest petitions on the aufstehn platform and could help persuade politicians to introduce a ban.