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Vandals at the children's playground: City relies on video surveillance!
Neunkirchen is planning video surveillance after vandalism. Political debate about data protection and security in public areas.
Vandals at the children's playground: City relies on video surveillance!
In a town in Lower Austria, vandalism and destruction of a children's playground have led to a debate about video surveillance. The local council was confronted with an emergency request from the SPÖ, which was rejected. According to a report by courier, the FPÖ and ÖVP parties described the motion as “insubstantial”.
Deputy Mayor Marcus Berlosnig from the FPÖ will now carry out a comprehensive review of the possibility of video surveillance in the affected areas. The aim is to collect aspects relevant to crime, create cost estimates and carry out a legal assessment. It was found that between 2022 and 2025, the city police identified locations that were suspicious for police, but no significant hotspots for criminal activity were identified.
Analysis and insights
The analysis of the data collected by the city police showed that many minor crimes are not recorded in the official statistics. In particular, the Schafferhofergarten, the city park and the train station were identified as areas with so-called “increased crime density”. Video surveillance could be considered here, although the legal examination shows that only the motor skills park in Schafferhofergarten may be recorded. Public areas outside are excluded from monitoring.
The video surveillance project in the city has an estimated cost of a maximum of 10,000 euros. The results of the analysis and legal review are to be presented and voted on at a future municipal council meeting. The data protection authority will also have the final say, as stated in the report courier held.
Data protection aspects of video surveillance
The discussion about video surveillance is not only local, but also hits a nerve in the larger context of data protection. According to information from BFDI Video surveillance remains a critical issue, especially with the trend toward expansion beyond public spaces. The number of surveillance cameras and intelligent systems is constantly increasing.
Video surveillance is problematic in terms of data protection because it encroaches on personal rights. Operators must specify a privileged purpose for the surveillance and the legitimate interest in surveillance must not outweigh the legitimate interests of those being monitored. The legal requirements also include specifications regarding the storage period for recordings and informing those affected about the monitoring.
City leaders are now faced with the challenge of finding a balance between combating vandalism and protecting citizens' privacy. The upcoming discussions in the local council will be crucial in shaping the further course of this issue.