Police stations Krems police station by the end of 2020; implementation in Mautern/Styria police station will only be in 2021 due to cost reasons. 2.7.6 Insufficient staffing The NPM has been criticising understaffed police stations and associated workload for the law enforcement officers in the form of overtime and night shifts for years (see NPM Report 2019, p. 171 et seq.). The NPM can understand that the staffing level in a police station can occasionally fall below the target situation for different reasons (sick leave, temporary relocation, training etc.). At least, above average overtime should be avoided through organisational measures, as stress and overload can also have a negative effect on the detained persons. The NPM criticised in the year under review that almost a quarter of the permanent positions in Bruck an der Mur police station were vacant. At the time of the monitoring visit, the station, which is calculated to have 41 permanent positions, employed just 36 law enforcement officers equivalent to 31 FTEs as well as an executive assistant and an assistant. The NPM assumes that the calculated staffing of a police station is based on requirements planning. The Federal Ministry of the Interior promised to scale up the staffing of Bruck an der Mur police station with law enforcement officers from the current basic training programmes. Staff shortages cause higher workload In Juchgasse police station, the NPM criticised that the actual staffing level was far below the target from September 2019 to March 2020. Several permanent positions were also vacant in Van-der-Nüll-Gasse police station despite the heavy workload. The Federal Ministry of the Interior followed the recommendation of the NPM and increased the staffing in both stations. Ministry increases staffing X 2.7.7 The staffing level in the police stations should correspond to the prescribed target situation. Understaffing causes stress and overload, which can have a negative impact on the detained persons. Supervision for law enforcement officers The NPM is convinced that supervision, as guided reflection of professional conduct, can make a contribution to human-rights-oriented action on the part of law enforcement officers (see NPM Report 2019, p. 175 et seq.). The contributions the NPM visiting delegations make to increasing the awareness of the law enforcement officers should not be underestimated. 160