Interior Minister Karner and his counterpart Faeser thank Austrian police officers – 46 officers at the European Championships in Germany
Vienna (OTS) – On June 21, 2024, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser thanked the Austrian police officers for their efforts at the European Football Championship in Berlin. The ministers also informed each other about the progress of the operation so far.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner: “It’s not just our national team that is putting on a strong performance at the European Football Championship in Germany. The police officers from Austria are contributing to the security of this major event with their performance and ensuring a peaceful and successful football festival. During their deployment, they work hand in hand with their German colleagues and thus continue the traditionally good and close cooperation in the area of security.”
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser: “The security of the European Football Championship in our country is our top priority. The fact that 580 international police officers are deployed together with our German officers is a strong signal: joint patrols and a high level of presence make a significant contribution to the safety of fans and guests. And the joint deployment is a great sign of the close European cooperation of our security authorities. I am pleased that more than 40 Austrian police officers are also supporting us at our ‘home game for Europe’ and I thank them for their efforts.”
Working meeting on security and migration
Before the meeting with the Austrian police officers, Karner held working talks with the new Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and with Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. The agenda included security issues and the current migration situation.
Austrian police officers with service dogs in action
The police officers from Austria serve as a contact point for the Austrian fans and support the German authorities. More than 20 police officers come from patrol duty, about half of whom are “scene-savvy officers” specially trained in communicating with football fans. The contingent of uniformed police officers is led by Lieutenant Colonel Kathrin Horn from Carinthia, who used to play in the Austrian women’s national league. Dog handlers have also been assigned to the German security authorities.
Task force set up for European Football Championship
The Ministry of the Interior set up a task force with the involvement of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) and Sports Media Austria (SMA). Due to their experience as host of the 2008 European Football Championship, Austrian authorities played a key role in the international security police preparations and are important partners for the German authorities.
Head of the Task Force Günther Marek: “The cooperation with all those involved has been excellent since the beginning of the European Football Championship. The cooperation with the German authorities is characterized by professionalism and collegiality. It is a great pleasure to work with such a great team as part of the Task Force.”
Inquiries & Contact:
federal Ministry of Internal Affairs
Christoph Reiser
Press spokesman for the Federal Minister
+43 664 780 18 218
christoph.reiser@bmi.gv.at
www.bmi.gv.at
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