Personal protection
One of the federal government’s responsibilities is to protect the Federal Councillors, members of the Federal Assembly, the Attorney General of Switzerland, high-risk federal employees and foreign state guests. fedpol is tasked with assessing the threat level to these individuals, advising them and arranging the necessary police security measures. The cantonal and city police forces then apply these measures on fedpol’s behalf.
Threats
In recent years, the number of threat reports forwarded to fedpol by individuals under the federal government’s protection has risen significantly. This is because political and social developments and issues in Switzerland and abroad are highly polarising, sometimes provoking vehement reactions – particularly on social media, where content can be shared or liked anonymously within seconds. These reports often relate to specific threats or messages that could constitute a criminal offence.
The number of threat reports peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic but then declined again for a short period. Since 2022, however, the number has been rising again. In 2024, fedpol received 689 reports; in 71 cases, there were reasonable grounds for suspecting a specific threat to safety.
The number of threat reports in the last five years:
fedpol responded swiftly to the sharp rise in threat reports: since 2022, it has provided members of Parliament with an app that allows them to report threats quickly and easily.
Further information:
fedpol Annual Report 2024 – Threat reports on the rise
Conferences and official visits
The number of protection mandates fedpol provides for individuals protected under international law fluctuates depending on the political situation. On average, fedpol provides protection for around 60 events and their participants each year. In June 2024, for instance, a high-level summit on peace in Ukraine was held at the Bürgenstock Resort (canton of Nidwalden), with a large number of individuals protected under international law in attendance (see below).
Whenever members of the Federal Council travel abroad on official visits, fedpol is in charge of their security. To ensure that it can anticipate all security scenarios, fedpol conducts a comprehensive situation analysis before each trip. A key aspect of the preparations is sharing information with all partners involved in Switzerland and abroad. This enables fedpol to respond promptly and appropriately to security-related events at any time – even in politically unstable or war-torn countries.
Protective measures are always based on the individual risk assessment carried out for each person. In other words, an individual who is classified as a high-risk person with a high threat level may require more protective measures than a group identified by fedpol as having a low threat level.
fedpol Annual Report 2024 – A commitment, a culture
fedpol Annual Report 2023 – Bodyguards
