Switzerland needs more police, says head of coordination body

Swiss police are often stretched to their limits, according to Maudet. Keystone

Switzerland should recruit 2,000 more police officers and create a national police reserve, according to Pierre Maudet, who heads the conference of cantonal justice and police departments.  

This is necessary because of cybercrime and big events like the World Economic Forum (WEF), he said in an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. 

+ Read more about security at this year’s WEF 

Maudet says Switzerland has fewer police per head than most European countries. In Europe, he told the newspaper, the average is one police officer for every 277 members of the population, but in Switzerland the ratio is only one for every 455. This means, according to him, that the number of police should be increased by 10% to 15% — in other words about 2,000, who could be deployed according to needs. 

The cantons have now reached their limit, even in the case of a major event that is planned in advance, says Maudet. If there were a national reserve force, additional police could be deployed in emergencies, he argued.   

Maudet points to cyberattacks, terrorism and organized crime as the biggest threats, adding that Switzerland needs to modernize with regard to tackling cybercrime. 

Geneva politician and lawyer Maudet, 40, took over as president of the conference of cantonal justice and police departmentsExternal link this April.