No police work without shared information

The fight against crime can only function properly if information is shared between different national and international authorities. The central hub of police cooperation at fedpol is the Operations and Alarm Centre, which receives reports from partner institutions.

In 2025, fedpol’s Operations and Alarm Centre received a total of 407,178 reports from partner authorities in Switzerland and abroad, including Europol and INTERPOL.

The Police and Customs Cooperation Centres (CCPD) in Geneva and Chiasso play a key role in combating cross-border crime between Switzerland and its neighbours France and Italy. These centres are staffed by joint teams made up of employees from fedpol, the Geneva and Ticino cantonal police forces, the State Secretariat for Migration and the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security. Altogether, the CCPD teams processed 33,903 reports in 2025.

In countries where police cooperation is complex, fedpol may deploy attachés. These officials ensure that criminal intelligence is shared between Switzerland and their host country and support organisations such as the cantonal police forces, the Federal Office of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland in the fight against transnational crime. In 2025, the police attachés handled 5,210 cases. These included criminal proceedings and requests for mutual assistance, mostly relating to threats to life and physical integrity, drug trafficking, terrorism, child sexual offences and kidnappings.

Police cooperation tools

An important tool in the fight against cross-border crime is the Schengen Information System. The national contact point for sharing supplementary information on wanted individuals and objects – known as the SIRENE Office Switzerland – is part of fedpol.

Along with the SIS, the DNA profile database (CODIS), the fingerprint database (AFIS) and the national automated police search system (RIPOL) are indispensable tools in the fight against crime for all Swiss law enforcement and security authorities, as well as for the migration and border control authorities.

National computerised police search system (RIPOL)

Outlook

On 1 January 2026, fedpol updated the options for describing wanted persons in the RIPOL search system. Two descriptive elements – ‘Skin colour’ and ‘Type’ – were replaced, having become outdated. The aim is to ensure that the police in Switzerland have access to the most accurate search systems possible.

At the start of 2027, fedpol will analyse the practical viability of the new descriptive elements and assess them in cooperation with cantonal police forces. Further information can be found in the press release on this subject.