Police Power Corrupts?
Even in the land of neutrality and chocolate?
Do cops in Switzerland take drugs and then go to work? Most of the headline is in quotes below:
"Swiss police investigate boy, 8, over toy banknotes. Child will reportedly have a record until 2032 after asking in shop if he could use fake" money (Chinese joss paper "spirit money" from carnival).
From the Agence France-Presse in the Guardian:
At the end of April, the boy, his 10-year-old brother and the girl next door went to their local village shop in nearby Dietgen, where the younger brother asked if he could use the note, the report said.Even though the note was clearly identified as pretend money, shop staff felt obliged to call the police. "It is our policy; we were instructed to do so by the headquarters in Winterthur," BaZ quoted store manager Tanja Baumann as saying.
On 28 May, the police contacted the boy's parents and visited their home for three hours the following day.
They brought along stills from surveillance footage, including one of the boy and the girl standing at the till, the report said.
A spokesman for the Basel-Landschaft police said: "We were informed that children with a bundle of counterfeit euro notes tried to buy goods. There was therefore suspicion of counterfeit money being put into circulation."
He said the investigating officer had to determine whether the fake money was used deliberately and whether the children were punishable by law.
The brothers had mug shots taken, said the BaZ.
And their house was searched for further toy money: three 50-euro notes, two 20-euro notes, five 10-euro notes and three five-euro notes were seized on the grounds of preventing crime, it reported.
Awww..."asset forfeiture" (theft under cover of law), even in Switzerland.
We are so global now!
They really have too much time on their hands.
Have to say, I've hardly seen any cops in the ten years I've lived here. I see them at the airport. I see them on their yearly visit to the schools to teach traffic safety. I've seen them on the road 4 times. I see an off-duty cop who lives in my village but I've never seen him on-duty. And I saw them when they came to my neighbor's house after it was burglarized. And there may have been some hanging around various street fairs but I can't remember.
That's it!
Out here if we have a problem we call the syndic (mayor), not the cops, unless it's a big problem like your house was ransacked.
NicoleK at June 11, 2020 1:12 AM
If the child only asked if he could use the toy notes, there was no attempt to purchase goods, no attempt to pass counterfeit currency. A simple "no" would have sufficed.
Why have we lost the ability to handle these things in ways that don't turn them into a federal case?
Conan the Grammarian at June 11, 2020 6:11 AM
Even though the note was clearly identified as pretend money, shop staff felt obliged to call the police.
I see we have exported some Karens. I'm sorry.
Why have we lost the ability to handle these things in ways that don't turn them into a federal case?
This is a situation I'd like to be a judge. *stares at prosecutor* Why did you bother to bring this particular case to my attention?
I R A Darth Aggie at June 11, 2020 7:51 AM
Seems funny from a distance but it is the same mindless pedantic approach that messes with kids in US schools: a boy who chewed a poptart into a gun shape and said bang, a boy who pointed his finger and said bang (usually boys of course) got in trouble. We do not let children sign contracts because they lack capacity. They also do not understand money very well and these kids probably don't even know about counterfeit money. idiots.
cc at June 11, 2020 1:22 PM
cc " mindless pedantic approach"
It's not mindless it's political. How better to convince an impressionable generation that guns are evil than a picture, finger, or pop tart gets treated as a horrible crime.
Joe j at June 11, 2020 2:12 PM
It almost sounds like The Onion laid off staff and The Guardian hired them!
charles at June 11, 2020 3:34 PM
I bet this was a racial issue. I will bet ten francs the kids were from non-white immigrant families. Maaaaaybe Eastern European.
NicoleK at June 11, 2020 10:24 PM
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