Security
FAQ
What lies behind the “philosophy of the 3 Ds” ?
It designates the philosophy of intervention, defining how and when the forces of order intend to intervene during EURO 2008. The 3 Ds stand for dialogue, defuse and defend.
Dialogue: a friendly, helpful and preventative approach by the police, ready to be of help.
Defuse: use of comments and gestures to prevent minor trouble to public order.
Defend: systematic intervention against disturbers, dangerous trouble-makers and other violent people.
The first D is the basis for every intervention carried out for EURO 2008.
During such an event, the forces of order always try to dialogue with visitors, if only to help them because they are in an unknown city or country. If some of these visitors find themselves at odds with the law, either because they have “celebrated” too well, or through frustration, the forces of order must attempt to put them back on the right path. At this point, they must speak and act in ways which could help to prevent a possible incident. Defusing the situation, then, is the phase which immediately follows that of dialogue. As a last resort, if the visitors break the law, or disturb the festival of football, they would be off limits. At this point, the forces of order would certainly intervene systematically.
How can we prevent violent fans from coming to EURO 2008 and causing problems?
To avoid allowing violent fans access to the football festival, a system of three “filters” has been set up for EURO 2008:
- Refusal by their own country to allow violent fans to travel to certain other countries;
- Ban on entering Switzerland;
- Identification of likely persons, on the ground, by police specialists in the field of hooliganism.
Before EURO 2008, all the countries taking part in the tournament, as well as bordering countries, were invited to pass on to Switzerland and Austria all available information concerning violent fans present at sporting events, as provided for in the Council of Europe Convention and as was carried out for the CM 2006 and other international football matches. If necessary, refusals to allow entry to the two organising countries are pronounced, applied and executed. If, however, certain supporters manage to enter the two countries, police officers from countries taking part in the tournament and specialised in the hooliganism scene, will be patrolling the ground (fan reception areas, round about the stadiums, etc) during EURO 2008, along with Swiss police officers, to identify hooligans.
How can violent fans be kept away from the stadiums?
Since the beginning of 2007 the Swiss state security forces have new instruments at their disposal to keep hooligans away from the stadiums: ban on entering a determined perimeter, ban on entering a certain country; obligation to appear at a police station; custody; maximum custody of 24 hours. Those people aimed at by these measures can be registered in an electronic information system. The ban on entering a determined perimeter, the obligation to appear at a police station and custody can be pronounced on anyone who acts in a violent manner during a sporting event. The ban on going to a certain country can be applied by the Federal Police Office (fedpol); the cantons and the Swiss Observatory on hooliganism (OSH) can request such bans from fedpol.
Apart from the putting into force of these new instruments by the State organisms, the sporting associations and organisers have also taken private legal measures against hooligans, starting with bans on access to the stadium, based on their authority as managers of the sites.
Those people concerned by such measures or such bans to a stadium are entered into the electronic information system HOOGAN, which allows for an exchange of information on the measures undertaken between the different security forces and EURO 2008 SA, organiser of the tournament.
The Swiss football association and EURO 2008 SA jointly assume the responsibility for security in the four stadiums, their immediate surroundings and the teams’ quarters.
