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He appears with a protective mask for the interview. There is no handshake. The coronavirus is also affecting the country’s top police officer. Basel Police Chief Mark Burkhard (56) has been Chairman of the Cantonal Police Commanders since November. It will begin in a year marked by the pandemic with all its consequences. And that’s not all.
VISTA: Mr. Burkhard, you should be happy with the corona virus.
Mark Burkhard: Why? I don’t see anything in him to be happy about.
Now would be the high season for those who break the dusk. But since many work in the home office, you should have it quieter.
Yes, that is true. The robbery situation has calmed down a bit, but that’s not just due to the coronavirus. We have been observing this development for several years. But: What we can possibly save in funds here will be more than offset by the additional burden due to Corona. So there is no great reason to be happy.
How is the pandemic putting additional pressure on the work of the police?
On the one hand, of course, we also have to comply with protective measures. On the other hand, we observe that the population becomes more irritable in isolated cases. This often leads to arguments. There is also a certain change in Internet violations. The crown situation is exploited. For example, when trying to get relatives to pay higher sums because a person is supposedly in an intensive care unit and the treatment has to be financed.
The police often have to ensure that the corona measures are implemented. Do you meet resistance?
I heard from patrols that the scale of incidents and disputes is stressful. Sometimes people don’t understand. However, as a rule, we find understanding. The measures serve to protect the population. However, communication between the authorities has been a bit confusing lately, which does not facilitate our work.
Corona buses will be introduced soon. Will they help?
If people don’t want to see anything, fines are an additional means of setting an example.
A mere 50 francs should be paid for those who refuse to wear a mask. The Federal Council’s proposal is not well received by many: that is too little.
For fines to be effective, they must have a deterrent effect. However, the amount of the fine must not be disproportionate. How high this amount is is ultimately a political decision.
Gossip claims that Corona buses give police the opportunity to supplement their budget with more than just parking buses.
I don’t know of any police force that has budget targets for buses that need to be met. Income is a by-product, but not a purpose. We will certainly not persecute masked sinners, but we will warn and point out the correct behavior. We will continue to do so.
And yet he increasingly faces aggressiveness.
Unfortunately, this is a general development. Today there are groups where the management is very hard, not only with the police, but with all the blue light organizations. It is completely incomprehensible to me that rescue workers are attacked while rescuing the injured! Borders are crossed.
How do you deal with it?
We went out with reinforced patrols to be able to counter numerically. At the same time, it is important that these people are systematically reported so that they also have to face legal consequences. But the phenomenon gives me many problems. We are doing our best to at least slow down this development.
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Mark Burkhard is the new president of the cantonal police commanders conference.
Mark Burkhard (56) is still new to the job. Since the beginning of November, he has been president of the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders in Switzerland (KKPKS). But Burkhard has a lot of experience. Born in Bern, he is not only a qualified computer engineer, but also a licensed economist. Since 2013 he has been in command of the Basel police. Prior to that, he was Secretary General of the Aargau Department of Health and Social Affairs. After serving as Chief of Staff of the Bern Canton Police for seven years.
Meanwhile, however, a completely different kind of violence has reached Switzerland: Islamist terror. There were attacks in Morges VD and Lugano TI, where a woman assaulted several people.
That affects me a lot for the victims and their families. But also because we have to recognize how blind people can be. We try to identify those perpetrators as soon as possible and thus prevent attacks, or at least identify the perpetrators as quickly as possible after the crime has occurred.
Not just Islamists: Terrorist attacks in Switzerland(01:09)
In several cases, the police knew those responsible. However, the attacks were not prevented. It’s wrong
Bottom line: even if a certain potential risk is recognized, we cannot monitor all potential perpetrators throughout the day. That is simply not possible. The federal law on police measures to combat terrorism would, of course, create additional possibilities here.
However, this anti-terrorism law is highly controversial. The referendum was called against him. It is criticized that action can be taken against suspected persons.
Yes, action is taken against people who have not yet committed any crime. You can argue that under the rule of law. Still, I find it a useful tool. In such an environment, measures are needed to restrict the freedom of movement of dangerous people. And compulsory courts to order them.
So when choosing between security and freedom, do you choose the former?
Not in all cases. We don’t want to monitor everyone. It’s also about weighing interests. We all have to live with some risk. But if a threat is recognized, the state must also have the means to act against it.
International terror has reached Switzerland. Does that scare the professional too?
Definitely worry. With the anti-terrorism law, we could counter certain dangers. In addition, we need to improve data sharing between individual police forces, as well as with other countries; otherwise, we simply will not recognize certain perpetrators. Today, however, data protection is still partially in conflict.
Is data protection on your way?
Data protection is also very important to me personally. But you have to think about where the limits are when the police exchange information.
