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Law enforcement in Switzerland is mainly a responsibility of the 26cantons of Switzerland, who each operatecantonal police agencies. Some cities also operate municipal police agencies as provided for by cantonal law.
Thefederal government provides specialised services and is responsible for the protection of the Swiss border. Throughout Switzerland, the police may be reached by theemergency telephone number 1-1-7.
The requirements to be an officer in Switzerland vary by canton, whose responsibility it is to institute the police service.
Typical requirements include a complete high school education or 3 year vocational education, aged approximately 20–30 years of age, absence of a criminal record, completion of military service, a minimum height requirement, a Category B driver's licence, computer and keyboard literacy, foreign language skills, proper health and ocular health status, and Swiss citizenship.[1]
The federal government does not run a general purpose law enforcement agency. National-level law enforcement coordination is provided by a board of cantonal police commanders.
TheFederal Office of Police, an organisation belonging to theFederal Department of Justice and Police, coordinates international operations and may request cantonal police support for criminal investigations conducted under federal jurisdiction (such as with respect toorganised crime,money laundering andterrorism).
TheFederal Office for Customs and Border Security is responsible for Swiss border security.
Themilitary of Switzerland, led by theFederal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, operates a professional military security service and amilitary police service.
These services, as well as the armed forces in general, can be tasked to support the cantonal police forces in situations where civilian police resources are insufficient, such as catastrophes or large-scale unrest. In this case, the military serves under cantonal civilian responsibility and command.
The 26cantonal police agencies and numerousmunicipal police agencies are the backbone of Swiss law enforcement. They are not subordinate to federal authorities.
Their commanding officers report to the head of the respective cantonal or municipal department of police, who is a member of the cantonal or municipal governing council.
Police training is conducted in cantonal service academies and at the Interkantonale Polizeischule Hitzkirch, a joint police academy of twelve police agencies established in 2007.
Several private security services such asSecuritas AG and Protectas exist in Switzerland.
Their agents (except those of the railway police service as noted) do not have any law enforcement authority, such as thepower of arrest, beyond that of ordinary citizens.
An actual Swiss Railway Police did not exist until the late 1990s. Prior to this, a number of train attendants were sworn in, equipped with a sidearm and ordered to provide security services in addition to their main duties.
In the early 1990s, internal employees were recruited into a security force calledBahnpolizei (Bapo) or Railway Police, responsible for the safety on theS-Bahn, the public suburban railway network inZurich.
Its officers were equipped with a baton and a pepper spray but were not allowed to carry a firearm and had very limited authority.
Later theSwiss Federal RailwaysSBB and security companySecuritas AG established the Public Transport Security Services Securitrans AG, where theBapo was subsequently embedded in.
With the passage of the Federal Act on the Security Units of Public Transport Companies in 2010, the Railway Police returned under SBB’s umbrella and was renamed to Transport Police for legal reasons.
In 2012, the Ordinance on the Security Units of Public Transport Companies was issued that extended the Transport Police's authority and allowed its officers to carry a sidearm.
Today, the Transport Police and Securitrans coexist with different fields of duty.
Switzerland has 124 detention facilities with a total capacity of up to 6,736 detainees, all operated by the Swiss cantons.
The smallest prison is theUntersuchungsgefängnisTrogen with a capacity of two detainees.
Media related toPolice of Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons
