Public Safety Software for Switzerland
Kantonspolizei, POLYCOM TETRA, 26 cantons, nFADP/FDPIC & IKT-Minimalstandard — unified platform for the Swiss Confederation.
Request Switzerland DemoSwiss Public Safety Market Challenges
Switzerland's confederal structure with 26 autonomous cantons, four linguistic zones (German, French, Italian, Romansh), and the POLYCOM mandate create a unique environment for technology providers.
Confederal model with 26 autonomous cantons
Coordinating 26 autonomous Kantonspolizei with municipal police (Stadtpolizei Zürich, Polizei Bern, Geneva Police) and fedpol at federal level — each canton with its own dispatch centre, CAD system, and independent operational processes.
POLYCOM TETRA and transition to POLYCOM successor
Integrating CAD dispatch with the national POLYCOM TETRA network while preparing for the POLYCOM successor evaluation (4G/5G broadband) — ensuring operational continuity and coverage in mountain cantons such as Valais and Graubünden.
nFADP/revDSG (Sept. 2023) and FDPIC/EDÖB compliance
Complying with the new Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP in force since Sept. 2023), cantonal data protection laws, FSIPA for police information systems, and the ISA/NCSC framework for critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
Autonomous cantonal procurement (SIMAP/FAPP)
Navigating procurement fragmentation across 26 independent cantons — each with their own SIMAP tenders — plus FDJP/fedpol federal procurement, with different thresholds and procedures under the revised 2021 BöB/FAPP.
How KabatOne Unifies Swiss Public Safety
K-Dispatch: Multi-Agency CAD Dispatch
Integrated dispatch for all 26 Kantonspolizei and Stadtpolizei — with POLYCOM TETRA/successor integration, 112/117/118/144 coordination, and compatibility with Schutz & Rettung ILS centres.
K-Safety: GIS Situational Awareness
Real-time situational awareness for fedpol, Kantonspolizei, NDB/SRC, and cantonal civil protection — ASTRA motorway, AlertSwiss, and Smart City integration (Zürich, Bern, Genève, Basel).
K-Video: nFADP-Compliant Camera Management
Centralised urban camera and ANPR management with AI analytics compliant with nFADP/revDSG — with DPIA, cantonal/federal legal basis (FSIPA), retention management, and FDPIC/EDÖB oversight.
FAQ: Public Safety in Switzerland
How is public safety organised in Switzerland?
Switzerland is a confederation of 26 cantons with a highly decentralised public safety system. Each canton has its own cantonal police (Kantonspolizei / Police cantonale / Polizia cantonale) as the primary force, with full operational autonomy. Additionally, major cities have municipal police (Stadtpolizei / Police municipale): Zurich (Stadtpolizei Zürich), Bern, Geneva (Police cantonale Genève), Basel, Lausanne, and others. At federal level, fedpol (Federal Office of Police / Bundesamt für Polizei) coordinates international police cooperation (Interpol, Europol, Schengen) and combats organised crime and terrorism. The Federal Intelligence Service (NDB — Nachrichtendienst des Bundes / SRC — Service de Renseignement de la Confédération) is the civilian intelligence service. Fire and rescue services operate at municipal/cantonal level: Schutz & Rettung Zürich is Switzerland's largest integrated emergency service. The unified emergency number is 112 (European), with 117 (police), 118 (fire), and 144 (ambulance) still widely used.
How does emergency dispatch work in Switzerland? What is POLYCOM?
Switzerland operates multiple emergency numbers: 112 (unified European), 117 (police), 118 (fire), and 144 (ambulance). Police dispatch centres are the Kantonspolizei-Einsatzzentralen (cantonal police operations rooms), one per canton. Fire brigades are dispatched from cantonal/municipal alarm centres. Ambulance 144 services are coordinated from cantonal 144 centres (Sanitätsnotrufzentralen). The POLYCOM network is the national digital TETRA radiocommunications network for all Swiss public safety organisations (police, fire, medical services, army, civil protection). POLYCOM is operated under federal mandate by FOITT (Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication — UFIT). Switzerland is evaluating the next generation of emergency communications (4G/5G broadband — POLYCOM successor), following the FirstNet/ESN European trend. Mountain cantons (Valais, Graubünden, Uri, etc.) present special coverage challenges.
What is the data protection framework for public safety software in Switzerland?
Switzerland underwent a comprehensive revision of its data protection legislation with the new Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP / revDSG — revidiertes Datenschutzgesetz / nLPD — nouvelle Loi sur la protection des données), which entered into force on 1 September 2023. This law modernised Swiss data protection, substantially aligning it with the EU GDPR, although Switzerland is not an EU member. The responsible federal commissioner is the FDPIC/PFPDT (Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner / Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter — EDÖB). Police systems are additionally subject to the Federal Act on the Federal Police Information Systems (FSIPA) and cantonal data protection laws. Data transfers to/from the EU are recognised by the EU adequacy decision (Switzerland is on the white list). The Schengen Agreement facilitates police interoperability with the EU.
How is public safety software procured in Switzerland?
Swiss public procurement is governed by the Federal Act on Public Procurement (FAPP / BöB — Bundesgesetz über das öffentliche Beschaffungswesen), revised in 2021. Federal tenders are published on SIMAP (System for Public Procurement Information / Informationssystem über das öffentliche Beschaffungswesen), the central Swiss public procurement portal. At federal level, DDPS (Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport) and FDJP (Federal Department of Justice and Police) are the main buyers of security systems. All 26 cantons have full autonomy in their procurement — each Kantonspolizei independently procures its CAD and incident management systems. FAPP thresholds determine the procedure (direct award, selective, or open procedure). Contracts above GPA (WTO Agreement on Government Procurement) thresholds require international tendering, appearing on SIMAP and TED/OJEU.
What are the cybersecurity requirements for public safety software in Switzerland?
Cybersecurity in Switzerland is coordinated by the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre / Centre national pour la cybersécurité — CNCS), which since 2023 is part of DDPS. The NCSC operates GovCERT.ch for the public sector. The IKT-Minimalstandard (ICT Minimum Standard) is the voluntary (but widely adopted) framework for cyber resilience of critical infrastructure in Switzerland, equivalent to the EU NIS2. The Information Security Act (ISA / ISG — Informationssicherheitsgesetz) sets security requirements for federal authorities. Federal government systems must comply with FOITT/UFIT standards. MELANI (now integrated into NCSC) was the historical reference for critical infrastructure protection. Cantons have their own CISOs and cybersecurity frameworks that must align with federal standards for police interoperability.
What Smart City and police digitalisation projects exist in Switzerland?
Switzerland leads several police digitalisation and Smart City projects. Kantonspolizei Zürich and Stadtpolizei Zürich have modernised incident management systems (Einsatzleitsystem). Schutz & Rettung Zürich operates an integrated multi-agency dispatch centre for Zurich. The DÍGIT CH programme drives public sector digital transformation. Several Swiss cities (Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Basel) have Smart City programmes integrating urban cameras, traffic sensors, and data analytics. ASTRA (Federal Roads Office) manages motorway surveillance with police integration. Polizei Bern and Geneva Police participate in AI pilot projects for incident analysis. The national AlertSwiss app (BABS/FOCP) integrates emergency alerts for the population. Switzerland actively participates in Schengen-SIS (Schengen Information System) and Prüm for European police interoperability.
Why is KabatOne suited for Swiss Kantonspolizei, 117/118/144 dispatch centres, and POLYCOM?
KabatOne integrates the capabilities that Swiss Kantonspolizei, dispatch centres, and Schutz & Rettung need unified: multi-agency CAD dispatch compatible with all 26 autonomous cantons — with POLYCOM TETRA integration and POLYCOM successor readiness (4G/5G broadband), automatic incident classification, and police-fire-ambulance coordination, compatible with cantonal 112/117/118/144 centres (K-Dispatch), urban camera and ANPR management with AI analytics compliant with nFADP/revDSG and FDPIC/EDÖB — with DPIA, cantonal legal basis, and retention management (K-Video), and shared GIS situational awareness across Kantonspolizei, fedpol, NDB/SRC, and cantonal/federal civil protection for disaster and major security event coordination (K-Safety). EU cloud with nFADP/revDSG and IKT-Minimalstandard/ISA/NCSC compliance. Compatible with SIMAP/FAPP/BöB procurement frameworks. Demo adapted to Switzerland's confederal 26-canton model.
Get Started
Ready to Modernise Public Safety in Switzerland?
Personalised demo for Swiss Kantonspolizei — tailored to the confederal 26-canton model, POLYCOM TETRA, and nFADP/revDSG.