Federal Police (Austria)
The Federal Police (German: Bundespolizei) is the main federal law enforcement agency of the Austrian Republic. The Federal Police was formed in July 2005 as one formal unit of police. Before 2005 the police system operated the Gendarmerie for most of the country, and the Polizei in the heavy city and urban areas such as Vienna, Salzburg and Graz. In 2004 it was agreed by the Government of Austria that these two police forces, along with the criminal investigation service, the public security constabulary, and the security authorities, would all form together to become the 'Federal Police of Austria'.[1] The Federal Police is also responsible for border control.[2]
Federal Police Bundespolizei | |
---|---|
Federal Police Logo | |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1 July 2005 |
Employees | 23,000 |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Federal agency | Austria |
Operations jurisdiction | Austria |
Governing body | Directorate General for Public Security |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Vienna |
Director General responsible | |
Parent agency | Ministry of the Interior |
Facilities | |
Stations | 1000+ |
Website | |
bmi.gv.at |
Command
The current command structure that the Bundespolizei operates is very simple. The Federal Police is commanded by Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry then delegates to the 9 State Police commands. Depending on the State command, the districts and cities are controlled by either a District Police Command or a City Police Command. These commands then operate through police stations throughout the Province.
The 9 State Police Commands are the same as the general States of Austria.
- Vienna
- Styria
- Carinthia
- Salzburg
- Lower Austria
- Upper Austria
- Vorarlberg
- Tyrol
- Burgenland
Firearms
The standard issue sidearm of the Austrian Federal Police is the Glock pistols in 9mm Parabellum. The most common model used are Glock 17 and Glock 19 while EKO Cobra also gain the Glock 18 with full-auto capability for more firepower.
They are equipped with Steyr AUG (military designation: StG 77) assault rifle, Heckler & Koch MP5 or other weapons required for missions. They're also equipped with batons and Pepper sprays for less-than-lethal options.[3]
Vehicles
The vehicles currently used by the Polizei vary:
- Volkswagen Sharan
- Volkswagen Touran
- Volkswagen Passat
- Audi A6
- Volkswagen Golf Estate
- Volkswagen Multivan
- Škoda Kodiaq
- Volkswagen Amarok
- Volkswagen Touareg
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Mercedes-Benz B180
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- Ford Transit
- Škoda Octavia
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Mercedes-Benz O303
- BMW R 1200 RT (Motor Bikes)
- Ducati Multistrada (Motor Bikes
Armoured SWAT vehicles: There are several up-to-date armoured vehicles in operation by the special forces unit EKO Cobra of the interior ministry. The Vienna police currently maintains a Sonderwagen 4 as armoured personnel carrier.
Aircraft[4]
- 7 Eurocopter EC135
- 1 Bell 206
- 4 Ecureuil AS 350 B1
- 2 Ecureuil AS 355 F2
- 2 Ecureuil AS 355 N
Porsche 911 The Austrian Police experimented with the Porsche 911 in order to crack down on motorway speeding. After a six-month test phase the Polizei decided not to order more 911s due to fact that there wasn't enough room to store the needed equipment and they are too expensive.[5]
Ranks and rank insignia
- Stadthauptmann
Superintendent of City Police - Abteilungsleiter Landespolizei-
direktion
Assistant State Commissioner - Landespolizei-
Direktor-Stellvertreter
Deputy State Commissioner - Landespolizei-
Direktor
State Commissioner - Generaldirektor für die öffentliche Sicherheit
Commissioner General of Public Safety
- Hauptmann Assistant Superintendent
- Major
Deputy Superintendent - Oberstleutnant Superintendent
- Oberst
Chief Superintendent - Brigadier
Assistant Inspector General,
Commander - Generalmajor Deputy Inspector General
- General
Inspector General
Director in the Directorate General for Public ¨Safety
Deputy Police Commissioner of Vienna
Director of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department[6]
- Gruppeninspektor
Sergeant - Bezirksinspektor
Station Sergeant - Abteilungsinspektor
Sub-Divisional Inspector - Kontrollinspektor
Divisional Inspector - Chefinspektor
(Fgrp 6)
Chief Inspector - Chefinspektor
(Fgrp 7)
Senior Chief Inspector
- Aspirant
Probationary Constable - Inspektor
Constable - Revierinspektor
Senior Constable
- Kommissär
Legal Officer - Rat
Senior Legal Officer - Oberrat
Principal Legal Officer - Hofrat
Senior Principal Legal Officer
- Vertragsarzt
Contract Surgeon - Vertragsarzt
Contract Surgeon
With 20 years service - Chefarzt-Stellvertreter
Deputy Chief Surgeon - Chefarzt
Chief Surgeon - Chefarzt-Stellvertreter
Deputy Chief Surgeon of the Ministry of Interior - Chefarzt
Chief Surgeon of the Ministry of Interior
See also
References
- "OSCE Policing Profile for the Austrian BundesPolizei". OSCE POLIS. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- "List of national services responsible for border control" (PDF).
- Magazin Öffentliche Sicherheit, Ausgabe 1/2 2009: „Verhältnismäßiges Einschreiten“ (Ministry of Interior) (german)
- "Austrian Flugpolizei". Bundespolizei. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- "Polizei-Porsche kommt ins Museum - oesterreich.ORF.at". wiev1.orf.at.
- "Dienstgrade bei der Polizei ab Oberstleutnant." Bundesministerin der Innere. Wien, am 10. Juni 2015 Retrieved 2019-04-10.