Accelerate police information exchange
Cooperation between the police authorities of Switzerland and EU member states is to become even more efficient and faster, namely in the fight against terrorism and in investigations into cases of serious crime. The Federal Council has therefore signed the Prüm Agreement and approved the Eurodac Protocol.
The Prüm cooperation improves the exchange of information among European police authorities by networking certain national information systems in which DNA profiles, fingerprints and vehicle data are stored. The ability to quickly match DNA profiles or fingerprints is a key element of international police cooperation, especially in investigations of terrorism and serious crime.
Currently, Swiss authorities transmit requests for matching DNA profiles or fingerprints via the Interpol channel. This often takes a long time. It is also not possible to make requests specifically targeted at target countries, which is why requests sometimes go unanswered. Thanks to the Prüm cooperation, Swiss police authorities will be able to quickly find out whether another state involved in this cooperation has information on persons suspected of committing a crime in Switzerland. This innovation will make it possible to move forward more quickly with investigations or bring them to a conclusion.
Exposing the modus operandi of criminal organizations
Individual criminals and criminal groups are networked and mobile, just like all people in today's society. They move quickly, across national borders and they increasingly operate in networks. Switzerland is not an island. If our country is to be prepared for these new challenges, it needs new instruments. Prüm cooperation is one such instrument.
With its help, it is easier to determine whether there is a connection between crimes committed in Switzerland and abroad. Serial crimes can be more easily identified as such and the modus operandi of criminal organizations can be uncovered. The Prüm cooperation thus enables new approaches to investigating certain cases and offers the possibility of solving previously unsolved crimes.
With the implementation of the Prüm Cooperation, the so-called PCSC Agreement (Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Serious Crime) with the United States of America can also be realized. This cooperation, approved by the Federal Council in 2012, pursues the same goals as the Prüm Agreement, but is limited to the exchange of DNA profiles and fingerprints.
Use Eurodac
The Eurodac Protocol provides that law enforcement authorities may access the database containing the fingerprints of persons who have applied for asylum in a Dublin country or who have been apprehended while attempting to enter the Dublin area without permission. Access to this database is only permitted for the prevention and detection of serious crimes and in cases where terrorism is suspected.
Press release Federal Office of Police
