Police find pyrotechnics and drugs in Styrian traffic checks

Police seized 40 pyrotechnic items, an unspecified quantity of cannabis and prohibited anabolic steroids during Halloween-night traffic checks in the district of Leibnitz, ORF Steiermark reported.

The night was largely calm across Styria, with no more reports than on a typical weekend, police said. Officers carried out increased checks in southern Styria, focusing on drivers’ fitness to drive, speed and vehicle condition. They also checked compliance with pyrotechnics laws and searched for signal jammers that can bypass vehicle anti-theft systems.

Four drivers were reported for drink-driving, and two had their licences temporarily taken away. Three others were reported for driving without a valid licence. Police also removed the number plates from five vehicles because of serious technical defects.

Police had more work in other Austrian states. In Lower Austria, firecrackers at a private party in Baden may have been set off indoors while 45 people were present; some were injured. In Vienna, five people were temporarily arrested in connection with gatherings in the city centre, while fireworks prompted a police operation in Salzburg. Upper Austria reported a largely quiet night with no major incidents.