Anyone who exposes themselves, for example as a politician or as an expert, can quickly become a target. How dangerous this can be is currently being discussed in the case of the President of the Federal Vaccination Commission, Christoph Berger. After his kidnapping, his family needed police protection.
The former Ticino FDP Councilor of States and special investigator Dick Marty has also been under personal protection since December 2020, as it became known at the weekend. Markus Mohler, former police commander, knows when such measures are needed even in supposedly safe Switzerland.
SRF News: Is there any real personal protection in Switzerland?
Markus Mohler: There is such personal protection, of course. Luckily it doesn’t need it very often so far. But the police must of course be prepared in order to be able to guarantee personal protection.
How exactly does personal protection work?
This is a relatively complicated and very demanding task that requires many services to work together. For example, the federal intelligence service and the cantonal intelligence services. It needs a command and control team of several people and then there is always the background team that could intervene.
Personal protection is very complex, depending on the situation, you have to do it for 24 hours.
In Switzerland, this has rarely been necessary up to now. Are we a little spoiled here?
So far we have actually had very few personal protection cases. Our politicians very rarely have bodyguards, even at the federal level. And at cantonal level, there may be times when a public prosecutor or a judge needs personal protection in cases of organized crime.
Our politicians very rarely have bodyguards, even at the federal level.
Why is Switzerland a special case?
It’s difficult to say, maybe it has to do with luck. The direct-democratic structure of our state and the transparency of how courts are composed and function may also play a certain role. As a result, the system is supported by the population.
When do you think personal protection is needed?
If there is a concrete threat, then a very careful assessment of the threat situation is required. Who are the vulnerable, for what reasons are they vulnerable?
The state must grant the fundamental right to life and physical integrity.
Then the basic right protection applies, i.e. the basic right to life and the basic right to physical integrity, which the state must grant.
Is Switzerland doing enough when it comes to personal protection or should more be done?
It is simply the task of the security authorities and the police to constantly monitor whether there are people at risk who need personal protection and to prepare accordingly in terms of personnel and material.
Tobias Bossard conducted the interview.