Communication between Bernese police and army should be improved
Communication between the Bernese police and army in the event of a crisis can be improved. This is the conclusion drawn by those responsible from the "Fides" exercise conducted in the Bern region in August.
The army had taken over subsidiary missions from the Bern cantonal police at short notice. The exercise was intended to show how well the cooperation between civilian and military forces works in an extraordinary situation.
The conclusion was basically positive, the Bernese security directorate announced on Tuesday. The cooperation was very constructive. The army could take over the guarding of critical infrastructures with future controls quickly and without major preparation time.
However, various team operations required immediate communication between the police and the army. Currently, there are no compatible means of communication between civilian and military forces.
Therefore, Polycom devices had to be specially programmed and given to the army from stocks of the Bern Cantonal Police. The Security Directorate proposes that the troops receive Polycom devices and be trained accordingly.
Disruptive actions announced
The scenario for "Fides" was that a fictitious terrorist organization had carried out attacks in several cities outside the canton of Bern. The Bernese police were asked for support by the police corps concerned. As a result, it was no longer possible for them to protect critical infrastructures in the Bern area at short notice. The army stepped in.
Left-alternative circles had announced disruptive actions against "Fides" in the run-up to the exercise. However, these failed to materialize. (SDA)
