In the new part of our “Krone” series about the State Criminal Police Office, we are on the trail of the thieves: Criminalists stop thieves every day. A look behind the scenes of the investigative work.
Hardly a master thief has slipped through their fingers so far. “One day we’ll get them all. The perpetrators make a mistake or get cocky,” explains Franz Flescher. Then the investigators of the theft group in the State Criminal Police Office are on the spot. For the director and his team, no two days are the same: from art theft to home burglaries to ATM blow-ups. “There is nothing that isn’t stolen,” explains the 59-year-old. The supply usually depends on the demand. It can happen that criminals work through regular “order lists” during lightning burglaries. “The perpetrators rent accommodation in the Czech Republic and only come across the border to Lower Austria for the raids,” says Flescher. The head of the investigation area has been on the trail of the thieves for around 30 years together with 32 colleagues. In the sights of the investigators The behavior of the perpetrators has changed significantly over the years. “The suspects are acting more and more professionally and faster,” reports the criminalist. The palette ranges from ordinary shoplifters to internationally active criminal groups – such as in the case of a Polish car mafia gang. Damage of 1.2 million eurosHere, after extensive investigations at home and abroad, the officials managed to arrest ten perpetrators. The men, aged between 21 and 38, used radio link extenders to disable the keyless go systems on 15 expensive Mercedes, Porsche or BMW luxury cars and brought the vehicles across the border with forged license plates. Total damage: 1.2 million euros. The criminals engaged in sometimes breakneck chases with the police: one perpetrator fled in a Land Rover and at more than 200 km/h on a rain-soaked road. Another broke through a roadblock, rammed into a police car and was only stopped by a well-aimed shot in the rear tire. The criminals are currently being tried in St. Pölten, among others. The motive is always the same: “Thieves want to enrich themselves,” says Flescher. In most cases, the perpetrators are not violent: “Unless they are cornered. Then they become unpredictable.” So never play the hero, advises the expert.
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