Courts and police

Judges work at courts. Their task is to deliver judgments. They decide whether someone has broken a law and what punishment they receive. They also decide disputes between people or with authorities. They do not defend the accused; a lawyer does that. Nor do they write laws; Parliament does that.

The police ensure security and order. They prosecute violations of the law: they investigate criminal offences and look for the offenders. In principle, only the police may make arrests. A vigilante group or a municipal authority may not. Private persons may only hold an offender briefly in an emergency until the police arrive. But the police do not deliver judgments. The judgment is always given by a court. In this way the police and the courts remain separate.

The Federal Supreme Court in Lausanne is the highest court in Switzerland. Its judges are elected by the United Federal Assembly, that is by the National Council and the Council of States together. There is no normal application process with a job interview. The Federal Council does not appoint judges and the cantons do not send their own representatives.

Memory aid: The police catch, the court judges.