Law enforcement in Liechtenstein
Encyclopedia
Law enforcement in Liechtenstein
is handled solely by the small National Police of Liechtenstein (Landespolizei), consisting of 87 officers and 38 civilian staff, a total of 125 employees who police the 160 km² doubly landlocked alpine country in Western
-Central Europe
. Bordered by Switzerland
to its west, and Austria
to its east, Liechtenstein maintains a trilateral treaty which enables close cross-border cooperation between the police forces of the three countries; the Liechtenstein Landespolizei is also a member of Interpol
, and a signatory to a variety of other treaties.
said he does not even lock his door anymore, and he has not touched the lock on his front door since 1996. Liechtenstein jails hold very few, if any, inmates, with sentences over two years being transferred to Austria. Officers in the Liechtenstein police force have been armed since a shooting took place.
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
is handled solely by the small National Police of Liechtenstein (Landespolizei), consisting of 87 officers and 38 civilian staff, a total of 125 employees who police the 160 km² doubly landlocked alpine country in Western
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
-Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. Bordered by Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to its west, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to its east, Liechtenstein maintains a trilateral treaty which enables close cross-border cooperation between the police forces of the three countries; the Liechtenstein Landespolizei is also a member of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, and a signatory to a variety of other treaties.
Liechtenstein's low crime rate
Liechtenstein has a significantly low crime rate, with the last murder taking place, according to a serving officer, “about ten years ago” as of 2007. Crime rate has always been low since the mid 1990s when Liechtenstein started to prosper as a nation. A resident of BalzersBalzers
Balzers is a village and community located in southern Liechtenstein. As of the 2005 census, the community has a total population of 4,420. The main part of the village is situated along the east bank of the Rhine.- History and Culture :...
said he does not even lock his door anymore, and he has not touched the lock on his front door since 1996. Liechtenstein jails hold very few, if any, inmates, with sentences over two years being transferred to Austria. Officers in the Liechtenstein police force have been armed since a shooting took place.
Structure
Liechtenstein National Police Force is divided into four divisions:- Security and Traffic Control Division (62 officers; 5 civilian men and women); Administration Security and Traffic Unit, Security Unit, Traffic Unit, Traffic Engineering and Prevention Unit, Special Police Unit (SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
), Border Unit, Riot Police (37 men and women of whom 32 come from other divisions in the Security and Traffic Control Division), and Protection Unit mainly for the royal family, who all live in Vaduz Castle, a group which consists of 9 police officers). - Criminal Investigation Division (16 officers; 10 civilian men and women); Administration Crime Investigation Division, Serious Crime Unit, Trace Unit, Financial Crime Unit, Forensic Unit, Crime Intelligence Unit.
- Executive Support Division (7 officers; 15 civilian men and women); Systems Organization and Quality Department, Logistics, Emergence Command and Dispatch, Information Technology, Sate Penitentiary, and Relation Unit,
- Chief of Staff (2 officers; 7 civilian men and women); Traffic and Administration Law Department, Legal Assistant, Commissioner's Office; Public Information Center, and Finance and Controlling.