Zurich threat management stands
The threat management of the Zurich City Police aims to prevent serious acts of violence. The legal basis for this preventive police work can basically be found in cantonal law. Detailed questions are now clarified by a set of regulations that the city council has issued at the suggestion of the data protection officer of the city of Zurich and that will come into force on October 1.
After serious, targeted acts of violence, one thing usually becomes clear: the acts are often the final tragic stage of a prolonged relationship or personality crisis. Warning signs are often recognizable in advance. These signs, which indicate a possible execution of a crime, are to be recognized with the threat management. With appropriate measures, the city police can stop the escalation and prevent the execution of the crime. The majority of threat management cases concern domestic violence.
The basis for this police preventive work can be found in legal decrees of the Canton of Zurich, in particular in the Cantonal Police and Protection against Violence Act. The data protection officer of the city of Zurich pointed out in his 2013 activity report that the data for preventive police tasks is sensitive and that further precise regulations are necessary. The city police, together with the security department and the data protection commissioner, analyzed the city's threat management and drafted regulations that essentially have the following content:
Reporting Law: Any person may report to the city police if there are indications that a person may be a potential source of escalation or danger. The report can come, for example, from police members, members of the authorities, representatives of institutions or organizations, as well as private individuals
Data processing: Not every report to the municipal police proves to be relevant. The regulations therefore distinguish between a preliminary examination and a threat assessment. In the preliminary check, the threat management specialist group first checks reports against a catalog of criteria to determine whether people should be subjected to an in-depth threat assessment at all. The regulations clearly specify which data is processed, stored and deleted, and how. Data access is defined restrictively. For example, only employees of the threat management department of the city police have access to the information.
Measures: The city council has regulated in detail which measures the city police can take if they have identified a potential danger. For example, it can address endangering persons directly about their behavior and advise endangered persons or organize suitable protection and support measures for them.
Duty to inform: The municipal police shall inform the person posing a threat as soon as possible that he or she is listed in the threat management of the municipal police. The information may exceptionally be temporarily postponed if this is necessary to protect overriding public or private interests.
Reporting: Threat management is a preventive police activity, which is why there is an increased need for transparency and control. The municipal police report annually on the activities and developments of threat management for the attention of the security department. It also reports the required key figures for this purpose.
Source: Media release City of Zurich
