Public servicePolice association opposes unarmed police
SDA
28.1.2025 - 15:59
Officers of the Lausanne municipal police in action against drug-related crime. (archive picture)
Keystone
The Association of Swiss Police Officers says no to the planned disarmament of police officers in Lausanne. The parliament of the Vaud capital recently decided that the city police should no longer carry firearms in certain operations in future.
Keystone-SDA
28.01.2025, 15:59
SDA
The Association of Swiss Police Officers (VSPB) notes the Green Party's proposal with great concern, as it wrote in a press release on Tuesday. The carrying of weapons is a central component of police work. It primarily serves to protect the public and the police officers themselves.
The postulate was submitted by Green Party local councillor Ilias Panchard. He argues that carrying firearms makes it more difficult to take de-escalating measures. Only those who have to intervene in the event of a shooting or other violent crime should still carry a service weapon.
"Limited ability to act"
The VSPB disagrees: "Police operations can involve unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations in which quick and decisive action is necessary." Without firearms, the safety of both the police and citizens would be massively compromised,
The association argues that dispensing with firearms would not lead to a more peaceful society, but would considerably restrict the police's ability to act in critical situations.
After the city parliament approved the postulate by a large majority two weeks ago, the city government must now deliver proposals for implementation. Pierre-Antoine Hildbrand (FDP), who is responsible for safety in the city government, sharply criticized the plans.
In the meantime, the FDP Switzerland has launched a national petition against the "disarmament of the police" in response to the initiative from Lausanne.