Vorarlberg minister seeks powers after repeat youth violence
Wednesday 11th November 2026 on 19:30 in
Austria
Vorarlberg regional councillor Barbara Schöbi-Fink is pressing Austria’s Justice Ministry for a change in the law after a 13-year-old allegedly took part in an attempted robbery in Rankweil. The child and youth welfare service has exhausted its options in the case, she said, according to ORF.
Schöbi-Fink, who is responsible for child and youth welfare in the regional government, said the service offers a range of measures to protect children and support their parents. But it had done everything possible for the young people involved, she said.
Those measures include places in therapeutic or socio-educational group homes. If a young person refuses an offer, however, the service cannot impose it, Schöbi-Fink said. Parents can also receive support, and refusals of that help are rare.
She described the situation as untenable, saying police were apprehending the same very young people almost every week after serious violent crimes, but had no legal authority to hold them. A change to the law would have to come from the Justice Ministry, and discussions have been under way for months, she said.
The case in Rankweil concerns an attack on a 64-year-old man on November 3 at about 10.30pm. According to Stefan Längle of the Vorarlberg State Criminal Police Office, the man was walking home when he encountered a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old. After asking him for directions, they allegedly beat him, knocked him to the ground and kicked and punched him while trying to steal his valuables.
The man suffered facial bruising, a broken rib and injuries to his elbows and knees. He was taken to Feldkirch State Hospital. The two teenagers fled on bicycles when a passing car’s occupants noticed the incident. Police identified them through witness accounts and further investigations; both were already known to police.
Police said the 13-year-old is the boy suspected of committing a serious robbery in Dornbirn in late October. He has been linked to more than 300 offences this year, according to the report. Because he is below the age of criminal responsibility, he cannot be prosecuted or held in pre-trial detention. After questioning, he was released into his parents’ care. He admitted to the attack in Rankweil. The 15-year-old denied involvement and was transferred to Feldkirch prison on the order of the Feldkirch public prosecutor’s office.