Operations department crane

The crane operations department was a special unit of the Austrian police to secure the Vienna-Schwechat airport . It was founded in 1980 under the name "Alarmzug Airport", where it emerged from the former airport inspection. After the terrorist attack on December 27, 1985 , when three heavily armed terrorists threw several hand grenades under the passengers waiting in front of the check-in desk of the Israeli airline El Al and shot them, killing three people and injuring around 40, the department was restructured.

The task of the crane operations department was to monitor the approximately 10 km² large airport area of ​​Austria's largest airport and to ensure the safety of millions of passengers every year.

In 2001 and 2002 the special units were restructured and all mobile task forces in Austria, including the crane division, were dissolved.

The radio call name "crane", which is still used in the SPK Schwechat today, was derived from the bird crane , which is a symbol of vigilance here.

In addition to the usual police equipment, the operations department also had a Pandur armored car available to ensure safety . However, this has already been retired due to its age.