Police link six youths to at least 46 Vienna break-ins

Six youths are suspected of carrying out at least 46 shop burglaries across several Vienna districts between September and mid-October, ORF reported. Officers from the West branch of the State Criminal Investigation Office recently identified the suspects.

On 18 October, police caught four suspects after five break-ins at a foot-care salon and a barbershop on Heiligenstädter Straße and Cobenzlgasse in Döbling. Three 15-year-old Syrian nationals and a 13-year-old Austrian admitted to most of the offences soon afterwards. Further inquiries led investigators to two more suspects, aged 16, who are Syrian and Slovak nationals.

The alleged offences took place in the districts of Innere Stadt, Leopoldstadt, Landstraße, Margareten, Neubau, Penzing, Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Ottakring and Döbling. Investigators are also checking whether the group was involved in a burglary series in the Nordbahnviertel neighborhood, police spokesperson Julia Schick said on Wednesday.

In a separate case, officers identified three other suspects who are below the age of criminal responsibility after an attempted break-in on Reindorfgasse in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus on Friday night. Police linked them to further offences at a bakery in the city centre, a tiling business in Margareten, an Asian restaurant in Wieden and another restaurant in Mariahilf. Two of the suspects were Syrian nationals; the origin of the third was unknown. They were reported to the authorities.

Police said a small group of children and youths was responsible for a significant share of the offences, rather than youth crime being widespread across an entire age group. Investigators are focusing on identifying crime series early, linking offences and finding further suspects. Measures include police investigations, interviews explaining the legal consequences of offending, coordinated interventions for prolific offenders, identification procedures and cooperation with schools, social workers and Vienna’s child and youth welfare services.