In an interview with the Swiss daily ‘Blick’, the police director of the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, Fredy Fässler, warns of an uncomfortable winter in Switzerland.
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According to the politician, the Swiss cantons were preparing for possible problems with the power supply, but the security issue had been forgotten.
Speaking to Blick, Fässler said: “The federal government is working flat out, focusing mainly on energy supply and the economy. Security has been forgotten so far.”
That’s why the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police -(KKJPD), of which Fässler is president, intervened.
In the interview, the politician warns of a dystopian scenario in winter, should there be bottlenecks in the power supply:
“There, it is conceivable that the population will rebel or that there will be looting.”
Because, says Fässler, without electricity, card payments in stores would not be possible, cash could not be obtained, there would be no gasoline at gas stations, no heating in homes, and the lights would fail in the streets.
Switzerland is not entirely unprepared for such a dramatic situation.
However, Fässler said: “In 2014, we practiced the situation of a blackout involving the blue-light organizations in a major security network exercise.”
The serious deficiencies that were identified during this exercise – such as the lack of emergency power generators for the police, hospitals, and critical infrastructure – have since been rectified thanks to these findings, he says.
In the interview, the 63-year-old also pointed out that arrangements had been made with banks to ensure the supply of cash if electronic payments failed.
Citizens are called upon to stock up on candles and firewood. ■
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