Police begin testing new working-hours model in Gänserndorf district

Police have begun testing a new working-hours model with 174 officers across all 13 stations in Gänserndorf district in Lower Austria, ORF reported. The trial started on Tuesday and will run throughout September.

Lower Austrian police director Franz Popp said the district was well suited to the test because it combines different types of policing. Areas near Vienna have a more urban and heavily burdened structure, while the north is more rural and smaller in scale. The town of Marchegg also has a station for foreign nationals and border police.

A simulation phase, including the creation of duty rosters under the new system, was completed over nearly two months, Popp told the Austrian Press Agency. The rules have now been finalised and will be applied from September.

Minor technical problems emerged during the simulation, Popp said, adding that these should now improve. He said the police directorate would continue supporting the district during the test and would be ready to discuss changes if problems arose.

Popp defended the new model, saying it would allow planning that better reflected operational needs and create a common framework for all officers. The distinction between group and shift duty rosters will be removed.

He said concerns about the changes were only partly understandable, arguing that any problems identified during the trial could be addressed as planned. Popp also said the changes would not reduce public safety and could allow police to respond more precisely.