Grand Council BS Grand Council does not want a PUK on the Basel cantonal police

On Wednesday, the Basel-Stadt Grand Council rejected the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry (PUK) to investigate the problems at the cantonal police force by 52 votes to 44 with 3 abstentions. The SP and GAB motion for the most stringent parliamentary control instrument after the Schefer report thus failed to gain a majority.

According to the red-green council members, a PUK should have revealed how the leadership, organizational and cultural problems in the police could have come about. "It's the same principle as root canal treatment - you can't just clean the tooth, you have to get to the bottom of it," said SP parliamentary group president Michela Seggiani. Sustainable measures are only possible if the causes are investigated and understood.

The conservatives, the GLP and the government all rejected a PUK. The "root canal treatment" had long since begun, said Security Director Stephanie Eymann (LDP) in reference to the comparison with dentistry. Among other things, she referred to the personnel consequences, the contact point and the appointment of a task force. A PUK would therefore bring no added value.

The Commons see the GPK as responsible

FDP parliamentary group president Erich Bucher pointed out that a new PUK could only begin its work in March. The work should now be left to the Audit Committee (GPK).

The background to this is the report published in June by constitutional law expert Markus Schefer. Anonymous interviews with police officers revealed considerable problems such as a culture of fear, high workloads, a lack of trust in management and insufficient measures in connection with sexism and racism.

The Grand Council has only set up a PUK twice so far, most recently for the new construction of the Biocenter.

SDA