Kantonspolizei Zurich

Kantonspolizei Zürich
Landjäger-Corps des Kantons Zürich (1804 AD)
Canton of Zürich, Switzerland
Flag of the city and canton of Zürich
Flag of the city and canton of Zürich
Common nameKantonspolizei Zürich
AbbreviationKapo ZH
Agency overview
Formed1804[1]
Employeesapprox. 3,800 full time jobs,[2] of which 2,247 police officers and about 1,500 civilians (2015)
Annual budgetCHF587 million
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionKanton Zürich, CH
Size1,729 square kilometres (668 sq mi)
Population1,504,346 (2017)
Legal jurisdictionGovernment of the canton of Zürich
Governing bodyDirektion der Justiz und des Innern
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersKasernenstrasse 29, CH-8004 Zürich
Agency executive
  • Thomas Würgler, Kommandant
Child agency
  • Kriminalpolizei, Sicherheitspolizei, Verkehrspolizei; Regionalpolizei; Flughafenpolizei Zürich; Kriminalmuseum; Verkehrsleitzentrale; Seepolizei
Facilities
Stationsabout 60 as of 2015
Police carsunknown
Police boats2 (assumed, at least one speedboat, see image)
Helicopters1[3][4]
Dogsunknown
Website
www.kapo.zh.ch (in German)

The Kantonspolizei Zürich (literal translation: "Cantonal Police of Zürich") is the police department of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The Kantonspolizei Zürich exists within the cantonal legal structure to enforce criminal, security, and traffic law on behalf of the government of the canton of Zürich. It is empowered with the executive authority of the Direktion der Justiz und des Innern, the Department of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zürich.

History

The Kantonspolizei Zürich was established in 1804 as the Landjäger-Corps des Kantons Zürich after the period of civil unrest known as the Bockenkrieg.[de] Its administrative seat was formed in the City of Zürich in 1901.

In the same year, the Kantonspolizei founded the first museum of crime to exist in Switzerland, the Kriminalmuseum der Kantonspolizei Zürich.[5] The museum, originally used only for training of new recruits, opened to the public in 1958.

The Kantonspolizei Zürich is the legally responsible police force in all municipalities in the canton of Zürich, including the City of Zürich, for matters pertaining to cantonal law.

Duties

The Kantonspolizei Zürich is responsible for law enforcement at the Zurich Airport,[6] as well as anti-terror protection in the widest sense and the control of potentially dangerous demonstrations and riots. One notable incident of major police action was the Opernhauskrawalle youth protest on 30/31 May 1980 at the Sechseläutenplatz in Zürich,[7] documented in the 2000 Swiss documentary film Züri brännt.[8] Another incident was the 1968 Globuskrawalle, rioting that took place at the former Globus department store building at the Bahnhofbrücke Zürich.[9]

Further duties of the Kantonspolizei Zürich include the support of its municipal police stations, road patrol and control, criminal investigation, and water policing on Lake Zürich.[10]

The Kantonspolizei Zürich is the largest police force in Switzerland, counting both personnel and financing.[1] It comprises 3,800 full-time positions, of which 2,247 are police officers, including about 100 Sicherheitsassistenten (security assistants) at the Zurich Airport, as of January 2015.[2] The KZ also provides the ePolice internet service,[11] and has run the Kriminalmuseum (criminal museum) in its headquarters since 1959.[12] It maintains an international exchange program with police forces in other countries.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Zahlen & Fakten" (in German). Kantonspolizei Zürich. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  2. ^ a b "Historischer Erfolg für die Kantonspolizei" (in German). Tages-Anzeiger. 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  3. ^ "Kantonspolizei Zürich stellt neuen Helikopter vor" (in German). Kantonspolizei Zürich. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  4. ^ "Ein neuer Helikopter für die Kantonspolizei" (in German). Zürcher Oberländer. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  5. ^ "Führung Kriminalmuseum | Erlebnisse in Zürich". www.zuerich.com (in German). Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  6. ^ "Wie sicher ist der Flughafen Zürich?" (in German). 10vor10. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  7. ^ "Diskussion zu den Zürcher Jugendunruhen ("CH-Magazin" vom 15.7.1980)" (in German). SRF Kultur. 1980-07-15. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  8. ^ Franz Kasperski (2015-01-16). "Der heisse Sommer 1980: "Züri brännt"" (in German). SRF Kultur. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  9. ^ Marco Tackenberg (2012-03-24). "Jugendunruhen" (in German). HDS. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  10. ^ "Über uns" (in German). Kantonspolizei Zürich. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  11. ^ "ePolice" (in German). Kantonspolizei Zürich. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  12. ^ "Kriminalmuseum". museums.ch (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Nigerianische Polizisten in Zürich" (in German). 10vor10. 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
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