Police race to surround a house in Bern where a suspect is hiding out in March 2013
Keystone
Overall crime fell by 3% in Switzerland last year, mainly due to a drop in the number of thefts. There was a decline in the number of minors and young adults charged, as well as asylum-seekers.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies
The total number of crimes recorded in the annual Police Crime Statistics by the Federal Statistics Office declined to 725,687 in 2013 – a drop of 3% compared to the previous year.
Statistics experts say the decline is the result of efforts by the country’s 26 cantonal police authorities.
However, the Association of Swiss Police Officers warns against complacency.
“Switzerland is definitely no longer among the safest countries in the world,” the association president Jean-Marc Widmer said on Monday.
He welcomes the efforts by individual political bodies to fight crime and calls for increased police presence in the streets, tougher penalties and more prisons.
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Thick sweet-smelling smoke spirals slowly upwards from a secluded courtyard in the Les Grottes neighbourhood not far from Geneva railway station. “Sure this change is a good thing,” says *Dani, a young cannabis smoker. “I’ve been caught by the police before and I had five grams on me – they thought I was a dealer.…
The number of recorded thefts went down to 217,978 – 8% less than in 2012. It is the first decline in three years. In addition 11% fewer hold-ups were also registered last year.
According to the statistics office, cases involving fraud or blackmail were notable exceptions, up 15% and 67%, respectively. Cases of domestic violence were also up 4%, but the office stressed that this figure was likely to be underestimated.
Police recorded an increase in cases of drug consumption, mainly cannabis, in 2013, despite an easing of sanctions last October. (see related story)
As in recent years, the number of young offenders and young adults aged 18-25 caught committing crimes continue to fall – 6.7% and 6.8%, respectively. The percentage of crimes committed by asylum-seekers also fell – 23% – in 2013, after a 38.7% increase the previous year.
Last year’s crime hotspots were Lausanne (209 reported crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), followed by Bern (167), Geneva (160), Zurich (137) and Basel (128). All reported sizeable decreases. The Swiss average is 71.5.
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“We were away for the weekend in Valais when it happened. Two young girls used screwdrivers to break into our third-floor apartment but were disturbed by an elderly neighbour who lives two floors below. They didn’t manage to steal anything but when he tried to stop them and call the police one of them tried…
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According to the Federal Statistics Office, cases of theft increased nationally by 16 per cent. However, despite the overall rise in crime in 2011, the number of minors charged with criminal offences was down by 21 per cent, while violent crime dropped by seven per cent and sex crimes were down by three per cent.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.