Switzerland needs more police, says head of coordination body
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.
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.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Terrorism and financial crimes keep Attorney General busy
This content was published on
The Swiss Attorney General took on 237 new investigations in 2017, mainly linked to international economic crimes and terrorism.
Police reportedly mobilising more security for Davos
This content was published on
Federal police are reportedly assembling more last-minute security forces for WEF next week in Davos because of the many world leaders attending.
More cyberwarriors needed, says Swiss defence minister
This content was published on
Switzerland remains under-resourced in fighting the almost ‘daily’ cyber attacks targeting the country, said Defence Minister Guy Parmelin.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.