Politics · Switzerland · 7 hrs ago
St Gallen police plan to expand drone speed checks
St Gallen police plan to expand drone speed checks to roads where speeding is common.
They have so far mainly used drones for checks on winding mountain passes.
The new plan would widen where drones monitor traffic in the Swiss canton.
Legal experts say the method is disputed, while some residents question whether the measurements are reliable.
Many commenters raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, while others said drivers should follow speed limits.
The debate centres on safety, legality and privacy, and the effectiveness of the checks may become clearer through statistics.
St Gallen’s cantonal police plan to use drones for speed checks on road sections where speeding is frequent, in addition to winding mountain roads.
The police say a 2024 Thurgau court ruling provides a legal basis for similar drone checks, although no Federal Supreme Court ruling on the practice exists.
Three St Gallen lawmakers from the FDP question whether current laws allow the expanded surveillance and have asked the cantonal government about its legal basis and privacy safeguards.
The police say drivers who exceed speed limits only slightly are not the focus of drone checks and remain subject to conventional speed monitoring.
The planned expansion has also drawn criticism from members of the public, including concerns about surveillance, measurement accuracy and the purpose of the checks.
- Who
- St Gallen cantonal police plan the checks. Three FDP lawmakers have questioned their legal basis.
- What
- The police plan to use drones more often to detect speeding. They have so far used them mainly on winding mountain roads.
- When
- The police presented the drones at a media conference on Friday. The date of the planned expansion is not stated.
- Where
- St Gallen canton, Switzerland, including road sections where speeding is frequent.
- Why
- The police aim to detect speeding drivers. Critics question the legal basis and raise concerns about surveillance and privacy.
St Gallen cantonal police
Three St Gallen FDP lawmakers
Legal basis
St Gallen cantonal police
The police say a 2024 Thurgau court ruling supports similar drone checks.
Three St Gallen FDP lawmakers
The lawmakers argue that general traffic rules may not be enough to authorize broad surveillance.
Preliminary observation
St Gallen cantonal police
The police say drivers who exceed the limit only slightly are not the focus of drone checks.
Three St Gallen FDP lawmakers
The lawmakers say observing roads before identifying a suspected speeder could amount to legally questionable surveillance without specific grounds.
Privacy
St Gallen cantonal police
The sources do not state the police’s response to the lawmakers’ privacy questions.
Three St Gallen FDP lawmakers
The lawmakers ask what safeguards protect uninvolved people and their privacy.
St Gallen cantonal police presented drones for speed checks at a media conference at the Hulftegg pass road.
FDP lawmakers Raphael Frei, Ruben Schuler and Oskar Seger submitted a motion questioning the legal basis for drone checks.
The Thurgau Higher Court ruled that a speed check by the Thurgau cantonal police using a drone was permissible.
- Location
- Hulftegg pass road, Toggenburg
- Police force
- St Gallen cantonal police
- Lawmakers
- Raphael Frei, Ruben Schuler and Oskar Seger
- Court ruling cited
- Thurgau Higher Court, 2024
- Current use
- Mainly winding mountain roads
- Expansion plan
- Road sections where speeding is frequent
2 sources
What people are saying
This decision offers a robust legal basis for comparable operations in the canton of St Gallen.
Without a specific formal legal basis, the cantonal police appear to rely solely on general provisions for regulating and monitoring traffic in drone surveillance.
Without a specific suspicion, this is a preventive preliminary investigation in which covert surveillance without a specific target is legally extremely sensitive.
The main thing is to cash in! Taking even more money from citizens who are already struggling.