Kantonspolizei Zürich


Kantonspolizei Zürich, literally meaning "Cantonal Police of Zürich", is the police department of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The Kapo ZH exists within the cantonal legal structure to enforce criminal, security, and traffic law on behalf of the government of the canton of Zürich, and is empowered with the executive authority of the Direktion der Justiz und des Innern, the department of justice and internal affairs of the Canton of Zürich.

History

The Kantonalpolizei was established in 1804 named the Landjäger-Corps des Kantons Zürich, in reaction to the civil unrest known as the :de:Bockenkrieg|Bockenkrieg. Its administrative seat was built in the city of Zürich in 1901. The KZ is the legally responsible police force for the municipalities in the canton of Zürich, including the Stadtpolizei Zürich for the City of Zürich, for matters pertaining to cantonal law.

Duties

The KZ is responsible for law enforcement protection of the Zurich Airport, as well as anti-terror protection in the widest sense, and the control of potentially dangerous demonstrations and riots. Notable incidents of major police actions have included the so-called Opernhauskrawalle youth protest on 30/31 May 1980 at the Sechseläutenplatz in Zürich, documented in the 2000 Swiss documentary film Züri brännt, and in 1968 the so-called Globuskrawalle, rioting that took place at the former Globus department store building situated at the Bahnhofbrücke Zürich.
Further duties include the support of its municipal police stations, road patrol and control, criminal investigation, and water policing on Lake Zürich.
The Kantonspolizei Zürich is Switzerland's largest police force, by both personnel and financing, compromising, as of January 2015, 2,247 police officers, and about 3,800 full-time positions in all, including about 100 at the Zurich Airport, and having on 15 January 2015 its largest staff ever. The KZ also provides the ePolice internet service, houses a museum called the Kriminalmuseum that was established in 1901, and an international exchange program with police forces in other countries.