On Thursday, the Senate adopted a motion by parliamentarian Michaël Buffat by 27 votes to seven with one abstention. It had already been approved by the House of Representatives in February. It will now be passed on to the government for implementation.
Buffat argued that stun guns could be useful for transport police officers. Especially in “obscure situations” where blunt objects or knives are used in the presence of many passengers, he said, arguing that police equipment and weaponry must continue to evolve. Since 2008, many Swiss police forces had introduced Tasers, he said.
The government requested that the motion be accepted. The government will amend the ordinance regulating the deployment of the transport police, said Transport Minister Albert Rösti. However, it remains to be defined when these pistols can be used before this amendment is made, he said.
In the House of Representatives, Rösti had still said that the government understood the proposal as a test mandate. With reference to Rösti’s statement, a minority in the Senate requested that the motion be rejected. It was unclear what mandate the government would receive, they said.
The transport police ensure security at railroad stations and on public transport. They may stop people who are behaving unlawfully and carry out ID checks, the Federal Office of Transport says on its website. For more extensive police activities, it must call in the cantonal or local police authorities.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Swiss army and intelligence chiefs ‘have resigned’
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
The image of foreigners in Switzerland has deteriorated
This content was published on
The Federal Statistical Office has found that Swiss people’s views of foreigners have worsened over the last couple of years.
After mild winter, nature wakes up earlier in Switzerland
This content was published on
Once again this year, nature has woken up earlier than normal, between a week and ten days ahead of schedule due to a mild winter.
Computer failure disrupts air traffic at Geneva airport
This content was published on
A computer breakdown has disrupted operations at Geneva Airport since midday on Tuesday. Significant delays are expected.
Swiss show high willingness to pay for sustainable flats
This content was published on
Tenants in Switzerland are in favour of sustainable flats. However, the willingness to pay differs by income according to a new study.
Swiss customs intercepted over 200 tonnes of smuggled meat in 2024
This content was published on
The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security intercepted around 208 tonnes of smuggled meat at border crossings in 2024.
Switzerland faces infrastructure gaps for CO2 capture
This content was published on
Switzerland must actively remove CO2 from the air in order to become climate-neutral by 2050. However, the infrastructure for this isn't sufficient.
Swiss parliament prohibits sale of Swiss space company Beyond Gravity
This content was published on
The Swiss parliament has said that the Swiss government should not sell the Swiss space company Beyond Gravity, which is part of RUAG.
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.