It is empowered with the executive authority of the Direktion der Justiz und des Innern, the Department of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zürich.

The Kantonspolizei Zürich is responsible for law enforcement at the Zurich Airport,[6] as well as anti-terror protection in the widest sense and the control of potentially dangerous demonstrations and riots.

One notable incident of major police action was the Opernhauskrawalle youth protest on 30/31 May 1980 at the Sechseläutenplatz in Zürich,[7] documented in the 2000 Swiss documentary film Züri brännt.

[8] Another incident was the 1968 Globuskrawalle, rioting that took place at the former Globus department store building at the Bahnhofbrücke Zürich.

[1] It comprises 3,800 full-time positions, of which 2,247 are police officers, including about 100 Sicherheitsassistenten (security assistants) at the Zurich Airport, as of January 2015.