Federal Council wants to increase security in asylum centers with new rules
Published: Wednesday, Apr 24th 2024, 10:30
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Following security incidents in federal asylum centers, the Federal Council wants to regulate more clearly who may apply disciplinary measures and on what basis. On Wednesday, it adopted a corresponding amendment to the Asylum Act. Now the ball is in Parliament's court.
With this bill, the federal government wants to make operations in the federal asylum centers safer for employees and asylum seekers. Former federal judge Niklaus Oberholzer recommended various measures in the fall of 2021.
In order to create a clear legal basis, the most important tasks of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in the federal asylum centers and at the airports are to be regulated in the Asylum Act. These include, for example, the accommodation and care of asylum seekers.
It should also be explicitly regulated in which areas the SEM can use police coercion or take police measures to ensure security and order and how powers in the area of security can be transferred to security service providers or to the competent cantonal police authorities. In addition, the disciplinary system is to be regulated at the legislative level.
Slight adjustments
Finally, the possibility of temporarily detaining a person for a maximum of two hours to avert a serious and immediate danger is to be regulated in the Asylum Act.
The Federal Council made several changes to the consultation draft. According to the approved dispatch, for example, it should be made clear that coercion is only used when necessary during searches, when enforcing disciplinary measures, when averting danger and during temporary detention.
In addition, disciplinary measures can now also be ordered in the event of a threat to public safety and order "in the immediate vicinity" of federal centers and accommodation at airports. The Federal Council also made further clarifications.
Safety-related incidents on the decline
The allegations that were made public in the media at the beginning of May 2021 were serious: private security guards were said to have repeatedly used violence against asylum seekers in the federal asylum centers. There was talk of provocations and beatings. Asylum seekers are also said to have been injured in the process.
The SEM then launched an external investigation. 14 security guards were suspended. In his report, former federal judge Oberholzer came to the conclusion that violence was not systematically used in the federal asylum centers. Nevertheless, he recommended several measures. The SEM has already been able to implement some of these at the operational level or by amending the ordinances.
Apparently the measures are working: In the past year, the number of aggressions, threats, harassment and other incidents in the federal asylum centers has decreased, as the Federal Council writes.
©Keystone/SDA
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