Names in hooligan database at all-time high

The electronic information system was set up in 2007 Keystone

A record number of people have been put under restraining orders for committing violence at sporting events, according to the latest figures from the Federal Police Office, further spotlighting the issue of hooliganism in Switzerland.

A statement published on Wednesday said 163 people were added to the electronic information system in the first seven months of this year, while the names of another 89 were deleted, bringing the all-time record total to 1,368 so-called hooligans in the database. Those listed have been placed under various bans to keep them from re-offending at sporting events.

Most of those registered were football supporters, while the others attended ice hockey matches in Switzerland and abroad. One in two perpetrators were between 19 and 24 years of age.

More than 570 people listed in the register lit up flares or went on a rampage, using violence against other people and damaging property.

The database was set up six years ago, and its latest figures are published twice a year.

Political issue

Moves are underway at a political level to introduce tougher rules to crack down on hooligans.

Last year, police authorities in the country’s 26 cantons decided to cooperate to prevent violence, but so far only a handful of cantons have ratified the accord.

In June, voters in Zurich adopted the new measures, including stadium bans for repeat offenders, restrictions on alcohol sales, tougher policing rules and formal authorisation for matches.

Switzerland has been struggling to implement effective anti-hooliganism measures over the past few years.