Violence against police officers in Vienna: Several attacks on Thursday!

Violence against police officers in Vienna: Several attacks on Thursday!

On Thursday, September 26, 2025, police officers were once again attacked in two disturbing incidents in Vienna. This makes it clear that the challenges in dealing with people in exceptional psychological situations remain high. Loud SN Police members not only had to deal with suspected riots on the city's streets, but were also exposed to unexpected aggression.

In the first case, an attack occurred in the Kärntnertorpassage. Police officers found a man lying on the ground there around 7:00 a.m., who it soon became clear was homeless and unable to identify himself. While the officers were trying to take him to investigate his identity, the man became aggressive and punched a police officer in the face. He choked another officer, further escalating the situation. Ultimately, the police had to resort to physical strength to arrest the 30-year-old Austrian citizen. He was then taken to a prison on the order of the public prosecutor.

Exceptional psychological situations and police work

But that wasn't the only incident that day. In the evening the officers were called to a hotel in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus. Here, a 35-year-old Turkish citizen ran screaming and barefoot through the corridors and was apparently in a psychological state of emergency. The man fled from the officers, crossed a busy street and was pursued by a police officer. There was also a collision here in which a police officer was again hit in the face and had to be treated in hospital. The 35-year-old was also taken to a hospital, which shows how sensitive public operations with mentally ill people can be.

Reporting of such incidents raises questions. According to the state representation of people with psychiatric experience in Baden-Württemberg ( LVPEBW ) a distorted picture of people in psychological crises is often painted. In fact, violent attacks by mentally ill people are the exception. The majority of these people are not aggressive, and many attacks could be avoided through targeted de-escalation.

The call for better training

The current incidents in Vienna make it clear that there is an urgent need to better prepare the police and crisis services. A nationwide crisis service could support the police in order to be better trained in dealing with mentally ill people. Special training for officials is also required in order to improve interaction with mentally ill people. According to a report on de-escalating communication strategies A basic understanding of conflict dynamics and communication mechanisms should be part of the training.

In summary, the recent incidents in Vienna not only demonstrate the potential for danger to police officers, but also underline the urgent need to develop and implement appropriate de-escalation strategies. Dealing with mentally ill people not only requires courage, but also understanding and targeted training - because often the best solution is to first seek dialogue before violence occurs.