Police Cost-Cutting Measures Also Reach Special Unit Cobra

The austerity measures at the Austrian police now also affect the Directorate for Special Units/Cobra Task Force (DSE). As confirmed to the APA by several sources within the security apparatus, the personnel level in the entire directorate must be significantly reduced by the end of the year. Accordingly, the DSE has had to manage with around 40 fewer personnel since autumn, with the integrated Cobra accepting cuts in operational officers in the low double-digit range.

Cobra, Bomb Disposal and Air Police Affected

Specifically, according to secured APA information, the assignments of the affected officers to the various departments of the DSE have been revoked. In addition to the anti-terror unit, which counts around 350 operational forces, the areas of bomb disposal, surveillance, search technology, and air police are also housed in the DSE. Their personnel mainly recruit from officers from the nine state police directorates. According to APA information, the total of 40 affected have gradually returned to their original service locations since autumn.

Karner: "Still Investing in Security"

The Director General for Public Security, Franz Ruf, said on Friday morning on the sidelines of a press conference at the Ministry of the Interior together with Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) that the DSE/EKO Cobra currently has a peak level. "A training course was completed in the autumn, and another course was approved for June 2026." The entire directorate has nearly 1,000 police officers. There can be no talk of austerity measures, said Ruf, who did not go into further detail. "We are still investing in security, we are saving in administration," emphasized Karner. He committed to this task.

The Ministry of the Interior shortly thereafter clarified that even under the current budgetary conditions, the "operational capability of the Cobra is fully ensured." Sufficient personnel and resources are still available for this, as stated in a transmitted statement. "The operational units have a very good personnel level, as does the area of personal protection, so that all operational tasks can be fulfilled as planned." The DSE/EKO Cobra is specifically focusing "on optimizations, lean administration, and modern operational resources to ensure maximum operational performance," it was communicated.

Dissatisfaction Among Staff

In security circles, the measures are likely to cause dissatisfaction - not only because "experienced people are simply being moved elsewhere," as it is said internally. The reduction in personnel disrupts the team structure of the Cobra at the already depleted base and ultimately also brings changes for operations. "This changes quickly rehearsed procedures," it is said in the circles of the special unit. There is a fear of a "weakening of response and reaction time" in the event of major incidents such as rampages or terrorist attacks.

It is also uncertain whether 25 DSE officers, who are currently in training to become "service leaders," could return to the DSE after completing their training. Recently, some non-essential training or further education at the Cobra had already been canceled due to budget constraints. Savings in the vehicle fleet in the area of surveillance also bring limitations to the professionalism of the work.

Comprehensive Savings Program in the Executive Underway

Just on Tuesday, the Ministry of the Interior presented a new service time model for the executive. However, the belt has been tightened since this spring. Affected by cuts are not only overtime but also material costs, construction projects, the brass bands in the state police directorates, recruitment bonuses, as well as the climate ticket and the free driver's license for police students and the basic reward. In July, the cancellation of basic courses for new admissions to the police service, amounting to more than 400 originally planned training places within the executive, caused anger.

In parallel, structural changes in the state police directorates were also implemented this year. In Vienna, almost two-thirds of the 81 inspections for party traffic have been closed on Sundays and public holidays since July, while in the federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, some inspections have been merged. The Ministry of the Interior has repeatedly referred to the federal budget but emphasized that the savings did not occur "at the expense of security and the necessary personnel," as a spokesperson explained in March.

(APA/Red)

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