Hello,

Thank you for your contribution.

This idea was not selected because the City Council does not want more video surveillance:

The City of Lausanne’s public safety policy is characterized by a significant police presence on the streets. Reforms within the police force have been implemented to strengthen this presence, as reported in the press. The City believes that the human eye is more effective than a video surveillance camera, especially if the camera keeps police officers tied to their screens.

It should also be noted that public video surveillance is governed by strict legal requirements that make this solution unsuitable for monitoring public streets for security purposes. According to the cantonal data protection law, video surveillance may only be implemented if other means cannot reasonably be required to achieve the same objective. Video surveillance of an entire section of a city could thus be rejected on the grounds that it would be more effective and efficient to deploy police personnel to monitor the area. Finally, filming public streets also involves filming and monitoring people who have nothing to do with drug trafficking, which constitutes a violation of their constitutional rights.

In light of the above, the City of Lausanne has a measured policy regarding video surveillance and uses this method almost exclusively to monitor buildings and monuments to prevent theft and vandalism.

Despite this negative response, the City of Lausanne, through its police force, is already active in the area covered by the proposed idea:

• High-risk areas: Thanks to its on-the-ground knowledge, the police are familiar with locations affected by drug trafficking. They carry out daily operations in these areas.

• Collaboration with residents: The police listen to the city’s residents and visitors. Residents and visitors can also contact the police by calling 117 or 112 in case of an emergency. You can also provide information to police officers patrolling downtown, who will know where to log the information they gather.

As such, the City of Lausanne is already taking strong action in the fight against drug trafficking. It is important to note that drug trafficking and drug use also raise numerous social and health issues. For this reason, services other than the police force are mobilized in this important mission of combating drug trafficking and providing care for drug users.

Best regards,

The "Boîte à idées" team.