Swiss policemen get lost and ask a passerby for directions

A problem of coordination between the Swiss and Italian police forces was apparently the cause of an episode that occurred last night, Wednesday, in Busto Arsizio. The people involved were 8 Swiss policemen in plain clothes, who had come to Busto Arsizio in 4 cars with Swiss number plates. The foreign policemen were on Italian soil for investigation work, which we know nothing about, but which was, apparently, perfectly in accordance with the Schengen agreement. At one point, the eight policemen lost their way in the streets of Busto Arsizio, and asked a passerby for directions, trying to explain, in poor Italian, that they were Swiss policemen on a mission in Italy.

On becoming suspicious as a result of the explanation and the agitation of the men, the girl called the police to inform them of the somewhat bizarre meeting she had had. Immediately after the call, the flying-squad went into action, unaware of their Swiss colleagues’ operation, and stopped the 4 cars to discover who was inside. The misunderstanding was soon cleared up, and it emerged that the Swiss policemen had followed all the procedures for entering Italian territory. However, there had been a failure in coordination, because the Swiss policemen should have been escorted by the Italian police force. This did not happen, for reasons still to be understood, which led to the misunderstanding that followed. However, everything was resolved over a hot cup of coffee between colleagues from different countries; the 8 policemen “lost in Busto Arsizio” were subsequently accompanied to the border.