Busy with counterterrorism
For the Federal Office of Police, 2016 was dominated by the fight against terrorism, as can be seen from the Fedpol's current annual report. Any gaps in the law that are identified are to be closed as quickly as possible. Police cooperation with the cantons and abroad was central, which is why the Fedpol strengthened its police attaché network. The annual report also shows that reports of suspected money laundering and terrorist financing continue to rise.
The third TETRA-The report shows that numerous instruments are available for counterterrorism and that the responsible authorities use them consistently. In 2016, for example, the Federal Office of Police issued 39 entry bans against jihadist sympathizers and investigated around 70 jihadist cases; in 60 of these, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (BA) is conducting criminal proceedings. This is according to the Fedpol Annual Report emerges.
Although many instruments against terrorism are in place, there are still gaps. They are to be closed with appropriate legal bases. Legal bases are planned for police measures outside criminal proceedings, such as the obligation to appear in person at a police station or the blocking of travel documents. Also being prepared is a regulation of precursors for explosives - those substances contained in everyday products that can be used to make explosive devices. Last but not least, the fight against terrorist financing is to be intensified by facilitating exchanges with foreign countries. All these bills are expected to be submitted to the Federal Council in 2017.
Police cooperation the be-all and end-all
Whether it's the work of TETRA or the rescue of a child abducted in the summer of 2016, police cooperation in Switzerland or with foreign countries is indispensable in the fight against crime. Fedpol has therefore adapted its network of police attachés and is now also using synergies with the Border Guard Corps. The network has been geared even more to the terrorist threat. A police attaché has been stationed in Turkey since October 2016; another started work in Tunisia at the beginning of April 2017. And Fedpol's team at Europol was strengthened by a terrorism specialist in September 2016.
However, the police attachés are only one, albeit very important, means of international police cooperation. With more than 13,000 searches resulting in a hit, the Schengen Information System (SIS) remained the most widely used tool by the police, migration authorities and border guard corps in 2016.
Cyber Police
For Fedpol, cybercrime was also omnipresent in 2016. It affected almost all investigations, from terrorism to white-collar crime to organized crime. Countless attacks caused damage on the Internet.
Crypto-ransomware, in which all data on an attacked computer is encrypted, emerged strongly in 2016. The perpetrators then blackmail the victims and demand a ransom for the decryption of the data.
In response to cybercrime, Fedpol deploys its cyber and IT forensics specialists in almost all investigations, who analyze and make readable data on computers, cell phones and other digital devices for the benefit of criminal proceedings.
Further increase in money laundering reports
As in 2015, Fedpol recorded an increase in the number of SARs concerning money laundering. 2909 SARs were received by the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS). This corresponds to an increase of 23 percent compared to the previous year.
This increase is due to the increased awareness of financial intermediaries as well as various large case complexes. Fraud tops the list of reported predicate offenses to money laundering, followed by corruption.
Source: Federal Office of Police
