“Identify, assess, disarm” is the principle guiding the threat management system operating in canton Solothurn since the beginning of the year. The project was presented at the first Swiss Symposium on Threat Management, held on Monday in Olten.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Serious acts of violence are usually preceded by warning signals communicated by the potential perpetrators. “It never happens out of the blue,” said Hans Rudolf von Rohr, head of security for the Solothurner cantonal police, speaking at the symposium in Olten.
The mass shooting in the Zug cantonal parliament in 2001 and the state of emergency caused by a gun-wielding retiree who eluded police in Biel in 2011 both were preceded by warning signals and threats, said von Rohr, but no one had an overall picture.
Through multidisciplinary cooperation and exchange of information, it is possible to identify such signals early and prevent such acts of violence, von Rohr said.
The “Solothurn Model” includes a special core team that coordinates information, as well as contact people at local and cantonal agencies, municipalities, hospitals, schools, and victim aid organisations who are trained to assess threatening situations.
The concept used by the centre was developed with the help of the Institute for Psychology and Threat Management in Darmstadt, Germany. According to canton Solothurn, the collaborative model being used in Switzerland is unique in Europe.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Gunman used brother’s pistol in factory shooting
This content was published on
In a media conference on Thursday, the local authorities shared more details of the incident, which took place at the Kronospan timber processing plant in Menznau on February 27. The motive and the exact details of the gunman’s death are unclear. Two of the victims are still in hospital. Police say the 42-year-old got the…
This content was published on
The man began shooting at fellow villagers around 9 pm on Wednesday. He began firing from his apartment, shooting at people in the street and in neighbouring buildings, but later came out into the street, police said, adding that he appeared to have fired more than 20 shots. The three female victims – aged 32, 54…
This content was published on
The regional prosecutor’s office in Biel decided on Friday not to press charges because the man was not criminally liable and needed psychiatric treatment. Based on a psychiatric evaluation, he was deemed to be suffering from severe delusions of persecution. Defence counsel Philippe Kunz said that his client was “not happy” with the decision and…
This content was published on
On September 27, 2001, Friedrich Leibacher entered the parliament building in canton Zug wearing a police uniform. He opened fire, killing three members of the cantonal government and 11 other parliamentarians, before shooting himself. Fifteen others were injured. One of the survivors was Heinz Tännler, a member of the cantonal parliament, who was sitting at the back…
This content was published on
On September 27, 2001 a man entered Zug’s government building and shot dead 14 people. It was the worst incident of its kind in Switzerland and raised questions about security in a country considered one of the safest places in the world. (SF/swissinfo.ch)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.