Sicherheitswache

Security Police, armed police corps, answerable to the federal police directorates (Vienna, Schwechat, St. Pölten, Wiener Neustadt, Linz, Steyr, Wels, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Eisenstadt, Graz, Leoben, Klagenfurt and Villach) and responsible for law enforcement, i.e., the maintenance of public peace, order and security (federal security police corps). Security police ("Stadtguardia") were deployed for the first time at the town gates of Vienna in 1546. The Vienna security police in its present form dates from 1869; based on a London model, security police forces were meant to replace military police as established in 1791 (Law Enforcement Officers, Police).