The Austrian police’s Entschärfungsdienst (ESD) can rely on a new blasting system. The device was recently put into operation and weighs four tonnes.
Up to eight kilogrammes of TNT can be safely detonated in it. In addition, the blast suppression system enables the safe removal and storage of dangerous substances or explosives, for example in terrorist situations. Up to eight kilogrammes of TNT can be detonated in the special steel container without causing any damage. “The specialists of the defusing service have to master very dangerous missions. For this, they should also have the most modern equipment at their disposal. With the new transport system, we are taking another step in the modernisation of the police,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
Until now, explosive and incendiary devices were transported on trailers that the ESD had developed itself in the mid-1990s. However, these are only suitable for small quantities of dangerous substances.
Explosives can be transported to the system by a special robot, which is locked by remote control. The transport is done on an all-terrain truck with a special crane and a mobile base of operations for special situations. The transport concept was specially developed for this by the police defusing service. The entire system cost about 980,000 euros.
The ESD consists of 25 police defusing officers and has its headquarters in Vienna as well as field offices in Graz and Hall in Tyrol. The ESD is located at the Directorate for Special Forces. The defusing service is deployed throughout the federal territory for tasks following hazard investigation, within the framework of criminal justice in the case of explosive or detonating devices, war material and suspected unconventional explosive or incendiary devices. In addition, the ESD at EKO Cobra also has four divers who are used as underwater disarmers.
