SWITZERLAND POLICE

Group 1
Abigail Patingo
Al Vincent Banaag
Alley Maramo
Janeth Sahagun
John Russel Tayoto
Melody Latayan
Rosa Mae Dizon
SWITZERLAND POLICE
 Known as Confederate Helvetica
RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS
 Swiss Citizen
 19 years of age
 Height; 5'6 for male and 5'4 for female
 Physically fit
 No criminal record 
POLICING OVERVIEW
 There is no single national police force in Switzerland
 The federal system is divided into three levels – communal, cantonal
and federal – is also reflected in the structure of the Swiss police.
 The word canton means district or a section or part of a country; in
total there are 26 cantons in Switzerland. 
FEDERAL OFFICE OF POLICE
(FEDPOL)

GENERAL INFORMATION
 Focusing on the internal security of Switzerland.
FUNCTIONS AND MISSIONS
 Criminal investigations on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland.
 Coordination and support to criminal investigations in cases where the cantons have principal competence
but which involve more than two cantons and/or foreign countries. 
 Security duties such as the protection of persons and sites.
 Administrative tasks such as, among others, managing the Money Laundering Reporting Office
Switzerland (MROS), the Coordination Unit against the Trafficking of Persons and Smuggling of Migrants
(KSMM), the Coordination Unit for Cybercrime Control (CYCO) or the Central Office for Explosives and
Pyrotechnics / Arms.
STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
 The four main divisions at the Federal Office of Police are the:
 Main Division Federal Criminal Police, responsible for conducting investigations against
transnational organized crime. The Federal Criminal Police coordinates the intercantonal and
international investigations and ensures the exchange of police information with Interpol.
 Main Division Services, performing a cross-sectional function and providing services to clients in
Switzerland and abroad (DNA/AFIS-Services, Identity Documents, National Police Information
Systems etc.);
 Main Division Federal Security Service, responsible for the protection of federal officials and
people and buildings affording protection under international law.
 Main Division International Police Cooperation, among others in charge of the operational and
strategic development of the bilateral and multilateral police cooperation.
CANTONAL POLICE CORPS
FUNCTIONS AND MISSIONS
 The responsibility for law and order basically lies with the cantons, where the police have also the function
of judicial police and of coordination body in the event of major disasters.
STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
 The Swiss federal structure is reflected in a number of cantonal police services which are organized in
different ways:
 The German-speaking cantons generally distinguish between criminal, security and traffic police.
 The security police have the more general function of maintaining law and order.
 The criminal police have the more specific task of investigation of crimes.
 The French-speaking cantons, as well as the canton Ticino, distinguish generally between the
“gendarmerie“ and “police de sûreté“.
 “Gendarmerie” corresponds to the security police in the German-speaking cantons but also act as traffic
police.
 " Police de surete " is the organizational title of a civil police force, especially the detective branch thereof.
 The police are a civil force; the gendarmerie is a military force.
COMMUNAL POLICE CORPS
 The competence of whether a communal police is established and what are its
responsibilities lies with the canton.
BORDER GUARDS
 Has three strategic tasks:
Customs duties
 Collection of value added tax and customs duties.
 Prevention of smuggling and trafficking in narcotics, weapons, war material,
hazardous substances, protected animal species, cultural artefacts and counterfeit
branded articles. 
 The Border Guard also has other economic, trade and health policy tasks.
Police security duties
 These mainly involve searching for persons, goods and vehicles, detecting
document forgeries and preventing international crime.
Aliens police duties
 These include the prevention of illegal entry into and departure from the country,
illegal residence and working, people smuggling and trafficking.
STAFF DATA
 The Swiss Police Forces comprise about 23,000 members. This
includes federal, cantonal communal police forces as well as the Swiss
Border Guards.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
 The education and training of the police corps are organised at
cantonal level.
 The police training in Switzerland is organized as follows: The Swiss
Police Institute, the Police Schools and Swiss Federation of Police
Officers.
1. THE SWISS POLICE INSTITUTE

 Active in the field of police training and develops and implements a national
training strategy on behalf of the Swiss police.
 Coordinates and supervises the professional and higher professional
examinations for police officers.
 Coordinates in the editing, production, publication and distribution of teaching
materials for the police.
 Promotes as well the cooperation between Swiss and foreign police schools.
2. THE POLICE SCHOOLS

1.Interregional Police Training Center - CIFPol

 Dedicated to training police candidates from the cantons of Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura, as well as public
security assistants.
2.Police Training Center in Giubiasco - CFP
 Deals with everything related to basic, continuous and advanced training.
 Continuous training of already qualified officers, in order to ensure their improvement and specialization.
 External training and continuing education, to update intervention techniques. 
3. Zurich Police School
 The ZHPS acts goal-oriented, performance-oriented, people-oriented and practice-oriented. 
 The ZHPS sets high performance expectations, offers a climate conducive to learning, guarantees permanent
school development as well as professional organization and administration.
4. Interkantonal Police College Hitzkirch - IPH
 The Interkantonal Police College Hitzkirch is the largest training and further training center for the police in
Switzerland. 
 The IPH is the first partner of the police forces in central and northwestern Switzerland and is their training
provider. Every year, some 250 to 300 candidates come here to train as police officers for their future duties.
 The Seminar Center has the largest and best infrastructure in Switzerland for training in the field of security. 
 It is considered a leader in this field. The Swiss Police Institute uses this infrastructure for the driving courses
I and II, the forensic courses, the SIMUNITION shooting courses and the Personal Security through
Communication (EIKO) courses.
5. The Police School of Eastern Switzerland (Polizeischule Ostschweiz)
 Each year, it provides police training to about 90 students, who obtain the federal police license. 
 The Police School Eastern Switzerland in Amriswil offers a comprehensive basic training for future police
officers of six cantons, two cities and of Liechtenstein.
6. Savatan Police Academy

 The Academy is the privileged place for the reflection and integration
of activities related to police training. In this perspective, it ensures
the relevance, quality and coherence of this kind of training.
 The Police Academy provides basic training for the Federal Police
License. 
 Offers professional development activities in response to needs of
various police forces and partners in the Swiss security landscape.
3. SWISS FEDERATION OF POLICE OFFICERS
SFPU

 It is the association of all police officers in Switzerland and acts at

all levels, communal, cantonal and federal.
 In close cooperation with the Swiss Police Institute, the SPSF
organizes training and further education courses for police forces.
Use of force by police in Switzerland

 Police in Switzerland are authorised to use firearms to arrest or

prevent the escape of someone who has (or is suspected to have)
committed a serious offense. 
 Police officers are only permitted to use a weapon as a last resort.
Tasers and pepper spray are permitted to be used by police in
Switzerland.