Now the chief police officer is defending himself against accusations of racism

The police must go, the Juso demands! Part of the young party wants to abolish the police completely in the long term and build an alternative. The demand from the weekend’s young socialists is raised just after an unauthorized leftist demonstration in Zurich spiraled out of control – there was massive property damage and street fighting with police forces.

Meanwhile, the Jusos complain about structural racism and racial profiling in the security authorities, meaning that people are targeted by the police because of their skin color, for example. The accusations against the police are heavy.

Allegations are “indefensible and absurd”

Blick confronted the country’s best policewoman, Johanna Bundi Ryser (60), with the criticism. The president of the Association of Swiss Police Officers (VSPB) firmly rejects the allegations: “Speaking of structural racism is untenable and absurd.” Moreover, such “recurring accusations are purely an ideological campaign and should probably make headlines”. In other words, she suspects that the allegations are based on propaganda regarding the parliamentary elections in the autumn.

Bundi Ryser’s response to the racial profiling allegations sounds just as firm: there is no problem with racial profiling. “Racial profiling is not allowed and inadmissible,” she insists. In addition, the police do not have the time or resources to carry out institutionalized ethnic profiling.

But Bundi Ryser admits there may have been isolated instances of racial profiling in the past. However, these were always brought to light by the police themselves. And they have held guilty colleagues to account. According to the chief of police, ethnic profiling is a phenomenon that has been brought under control.

The police did this by raising awareness. “The aspirants are already trained accordingly in the police academy and aptitude tests are conducted. If the attitude and the human image don’t fit, you separate yourself from these people at the police academy,” says Bundi Ryser.

Still no independent testing body for racism

Over the weekend, the Jusos complained that the police had no independent testing agency for racism and violence. There will hardly be any in the near future. But: “Anyone can file a report or file a complaint. These complaints are taken very seriously and are always investigated.”

Bundi Ryser thinks a reform of the current police system is unnecessary and the criticism is greatly exaggerated, she makes it clear to Blick. Probably also because there is no reason to compare the situation in Switzerland with that in the US, where black people have repeatedly died as a result of police brutality.

Source:Blick