Interior Minister Karner and his counterpart Faeser thank Austrian police officers – 46 officers at EM in Germany
Vienna (OTS) – On June 21, 2024, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and the German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser thanked the Austrian police officers for their work at the European Football Championship in Berlin. The ministers also found out about the progress of the operation so far.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner: “It’s not just our national team that has a strong performance at the European Football Championship in Germany. With their performance, the police officers from Austria contribute to the security of this major event and ensure 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 is our top priority in our country. The fact that 580 international police forces are deployed together with our German officers is a strong signal: joint patrols and a high level of presence contribute significantly to the safety of fans and guests. And the joint effort is a great sign of the close European cooperation between our security authorities. I am pleased that more than 40 Austrian police officers are supporting us in our ‘home game for Europe’ and I would like to thank them for their commitment.”
Working discussion on security and migration
Before the meeting with the Austrian police officers, Karner held working discussions with the new Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and with Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. The agenda included, among other things, security issues and the current migration situation.
Austrian police officers with service dogs on duty
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, around half of whom are “scene-informed officers” who have been specially trained in communicating with football fans. The contingent of uniformed police officers is led by Lieutenant Colonel Kathrin Horn from Carinthia, who was previously an active player in the Austrian women’s Bundesliga. Dog handlers are also assigned to the German security authorities.
European Football Championship task force set up
A task force was set up by the Ministry of the Interior 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 experiences as hosts of the 2008 European Football Championship, Austrian authorities played a key role in international security police preparations and are an important partner for the German authorities.
Head of the task force Günther Marek: “The collaboration with everyone involved has been excellent since the start 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 on the task force.”
Questions & 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