Swiss authorities form taskforces to tackle French car thieves

Luxury target: criminal gangs go after weapons and high-end cars. Keystone-SDA

Federal authorities are supporting cantonal police in the fight against criminal groups, particularly gangs from France stealing weapons and cars.

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The authorities are now planning to work together on the issue. Cantonal police will manage operations and investigations, while the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) will coordinate cases of arms and car theft within new taskforces, Fedpol told the Keystone-ATS news agency on Saturday.

For tactical reasons, Fedpol is not revealing who exactly sits on the taskforces. “We are only at the beginning of the phenomenon”, it wrote, adding that it is working “relentlessly” to combat gang crime.

Most of the criminals are young French nationals of North African origin, an Aargau cantonal police spokeswoman told Swiss public television, SRF, on Friday evening. The offenders are recruited via social media and enter Switzerland using public transport. Via Snapchat, they get instructions on where to break into, before fleeing the country at the wheel of stolen luxury cars.

Several cantonal police forces have issued recommendations to garage owners: do not leave valuable vehicles outside, keep the keys in a secure room separate from showrooms and workshops, and install surveillance systems.

Translated from French by DeepL/dos

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