New police center in Favoriten: future or wrong decision?

New police center in Favoriten: future or wrong decision?

On October 20, 2025 the time has come: the start of construction for the new Rainer police center will be celebrated in Favoriten. Vienna State Police President Gerhard Pürstl, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) and Vienna's Deputy Mayor Kathrin Gaál (SPÖ) are expected at the ceremony. This security center will replace the current main police station in Van-der-Nüll-Gasse, which will be closed after the new center is completed. An exact date for the closure is currently unknown.

The new police center will be one of the largest in Vienna with an impressive 15,000 square meters of usable space. The modern building will house four departments: the police station, the Favoriten city police command, the Favoriten police station and the southern department of the State Criminal Police Office. This merger is intended to optimize cooperation between the different police services and increase security in the district.

Location discussion and concerns

However, the Favoriten district council has expressed concerns about the location of the new security center. Instead of the chosen location, a central location on the distribution circle was preferred as many residents in the 10th district long for better geographical connections. However, these wishes of the residents were not taken into account. The district administration is fundamentally positive about the construction of new police stations, but emphasizes the need to take the concerns of the population seriously.

In addition, the construction of a new police station in Oberlaa is also planned. A preferred location for this new building would be “An der Kuhtrift”, which in turn would promise better connections for local residents.

Renovations and temporary relocations

The old police station on Keplergasse will also be modernized and converted into a security center. The police will therefore temporarily move to the pedestrian zone. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has made the situation a top priority: “We want to create a smooth transition and modern security structures.” The existing police station on Keplergasse will remain active during the renovation and will be relocated to a former Erste Bank branch at Favoritenstrasse 92. This move will take place seamlessly by the end of September.

ARE will lead the renovation of the modern security center at the old location on Keplergasse. The time frame for this renovation is three years, which means residents will have to wait some time for the new facilities.

The General Directorate for Public Security (GDföS) plays a central role in this context. It is an organizational unit of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior and has the task of coordinating security administration in Austria, reporting directly to the Federal Minister. The GDföS deals with a variety of security areas - from security police to monitoring border crossings - and is considered the highest police authority in Austria. Without a doubt, the planned reconstruction of the police stations has a particularly high priority in the country's security strategy Wikipedia reports.

The commitment of political actors and the police shows that this is not just about creating space, but also about increasing the population's sense of security. It remains to be hoped that the voices of local residents will be taken more into account in further planning.

Further information on this topic can be found on the pages of MeinBezirk and Krone.