Positive Results for the Youth Crime Task Force

From March 2024 to the end of September 2025, according to the ministry's information on Sunday, 10,574 reports were filed, of which 2,687 cases involved minors. In 1,315 cases, including 136 minors, arrests were made. Across the country, 75,000 identity checks were carried out and nearly 200 weapons were confiscated.

"The consistent approach against youth crime requires a bundle of measures. The suspension of family reunification and the establishment of a task force are among those that have already been implemented. Further measures such as the ban on carrying knives or prison-like accommodation for young offenders are agreed upon in the government program," said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP).

The decisive factor for the establishment of the task force last year under the leadership of Dieter Csefan, who took over from Michael Lepuschitz as Vienna's Deputy Police President and Head of Business Unit A in October, was the sharp increase in reports against individuals aged ten to 14. While around 5,160 reports were filed against individuals in this age group in 2015, there were more than 12,000 reports in 2024, the Ministry of the Interior reported. It is noticeable that Syrian nationals in this age group were particularly frequently represented. In 2015, there were just under 25 reports against Syrian suspects in this age group, while last year there were almost 1,000.

Suspension of Family Reunification as "Important Step"

The Ministry of the Interior described the suspension of family reunification at the beginning of July 2025 as an "important step." Currently, family reunification is being evaluated: "In the future, there should be quotas based on an integration barometer," the statement said. Other important measures listed include the ban on carrying knives, police warnings, or legally mandated case conferences between police, youth authorities, schools, or the judiciary for young repeat offenders.

Ultimately, according to the Ministry of the Interior's intentions, there should also be "prison-like accommodation" for young offenders in the future. A legal basis for this is currently being developed in the Ministry of Justice. The goal is for those young repeat offenders to be legally prevented from leaving their accommodation. "The young people should develop clear daily routines in the accommodations, the non-compliance of which is associated with consequences," it was said on Sunday.

The reduction of the age of criminal responsibility, demanded by Karner last summer in the run-up to the National Council election, is no longer part of the government program after the government negotiations.

Criticism from the FPÖ

The FPÖ sees the increased cases of youth crime as a consequence of the "years of failed policies and open borders," as the party announced in a statement on Sunday. The measures now presented or already implemented to combat this are a "mockery of the victims," said FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz. For example, the announcement of "prison-like accommodation" is just "a transparent maneuver to calm the population until the next election." The suspension of family reunification is also just a "non-processing" of applications.

(APA/Red)

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