Zurich police are being investigated after leaving a woman alone on an island.

A recent report from the Ombudsman’s Office of Canton Zurich revealed that a complaint was made against the local maritime police after they left a woman stranded on an island. The police have admitted that what they did was wrong.

Woman stranded on Lake Zurich island

The incident happened in January 2023 when a man and a woman were on Lake Zurich on their new boat. To take some photos of the boat, the man docked on an island, either Ufenau or Lützelau (the report doesn’t say which). He let the woman get off the boat there.

While the man was showing off the boat on the lake, a police boat came to the island. They asked the woman for her ID. She explained that her wallet was on the boat. The police then went to talk to the man. Unfortunately, the police had a warrant for the man’s arrest because he hadn’t paid a 500-franc fine. They arrested him and took his boat.

The man told the officer that with the boat gone, the woman had no way to leave the island without help. The officer told him to use his phone to arrange and pay for another boat to pick her up. But he refused. The police then called the woman and explained the situation. When she asked for help, the officer said it wasn’t their problem and that they were too busy to help.

Ombudsman acknowledges unusual nature of abandonment over fine

So, the police and the confiscated boat left, leaving the woman alone on the island. She only had a phone with low battery and no wallet. Thankfully, another boat eventually came by and helped her get back to shore.

The Ombudsman for Canton Zurich said it was strange for a woman to be left alone on an island in winter because of a 500-franc fine. The maritime police admitted that what the officer did was wrong, and they’re now reviewing what happened internally.