A police officer in Switzerland has had his employment terminated after it was found that he took time off for illness, but then spent his sick leave skiing in the Swiss mountains. The officer was caught after getting into a dispute over wearing a mask in a cable car, where he repeatedly stated that he was a police officer. 

Zurich police officer contests dismissal

Because of his actions, the Zurich police fired the officer in question without notice at the start of 2022. But the officer contested the dismissal without notice and took the law enforcement agency to court, demanding wages to cover the standard notice period. The officer demanded around 45.000 Swiss francs of his salary be paid, to cover the standard notice period required by Swiss work contracts, an asked for the same amount to be paid as compensation.

According to Blick, the sacking comes as the Swiss police aim to crack down on officers who express their opinions on COVID-19 measures implemented across Canton Zurich. Lawyers maintained that the officer suffered from mental health issues that arose from the fact that he had already been transferred to a different department due to his attitude regarding COVID-19. 

Swiss court dismisses claims of mental illness

Despite this, the administrative court dismissed the officer’s claims of mental illness. While the officer claimed to have headed to the mountains to rest and not ski, the court maintains that the man had indeed purchased a two-day ski pass, while wearing ski clothing, at a Swiss ski resort. 

In addition to this, the court found no evidence that the man ever complained of mental illness in the past. This led the court to uphold the termination without notice, deeming it to be lawful, given the circumstances.