Drug Scene at Vienna's Westbahnhof Grows: Residents Feel Abandoned

For two years, Peter Haubenberger has been working as a general practitioner at the Primary Care Center Vienna-West, located directly behind the Westbahnhof. In the program "Vienna Today," he notes: "When you walk around the area, you repeatedly encounter drug-addicted patients or people who clearly have a certain problem. We treat many drug-addicted patients in the practice." The center offers substitution therapies and has recently seen an increase in patients.

Westbahnhof as a New Drug Hotspot: Residents Concerned

The police have found that increased controls on Gumpendorfer Straße can lead addicts to move to the Westbahnhof. A resident describes her observations: "They come right in at the front door, dirty everything, break things. They inject themselves here." For some people, this is part of urban reality: "That's how it is in a city. You just have to move to the countryside if you don't want to have that."

The Vienna police are responding to these displacement effects: "We adapt the measures to the respective circumstances. The responsible city police commands, the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, and the State Police Directorate conduct ongoing analyses and evaluations of local crime burdens to implement the most effective measures," said a police spokesperson.

Increase in Drug Trade Also on the Gürtel

The Vienna Addiction and Drug Coordination has also noted an increase in drug trade at the Westbahnhof. According to Addiction and Drug Coordinator Ewald Lochner, there is increased consumption of illegal substances and the presence of marginalized groups around the Gumpendorfer Gürtel and the Westbahnhof as a result of the trade. "We are represented on-site with a high and already established presence of social work," emphasizes Lochner, highlighting the city's efforts to systematically address the issue.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.