The Le Matin Dimanche newspaper reports how fake identity documents could be on the rise on building sites in French-speaking Switzerland.
“It is easy to get hold of a complete identity kit: passport, identity card and driving licence,” said Simon Baechler, deputy chief of the Neuchâtel police forensics department, in the article. External link
Most of the fraudulent papers come from Eastern Europe and the Balkans, for a price ranging from CHF1,500 ($1,526) to more than CHF20,000, experts quoted in the article said.
Although the number fraudulent documents recorded remains fairly modest – where there are statistics – experts believe the trend is increasing. “We can only see the tip of the iceberg. The number of trafficked documents on building sites is completely underestimated,” added Emmanuel Fivaz, a forensic investigator for Neuchâtel police. The solution is to increase awareness among officials dealing with these documents, he said.
Residency requests
Meanwhile, the Association of Swiss Residential Services is calling for local authorities to check more carefully for fake documents among non-EU citizens during residency requests, the Zentralschweiz am Sonntag and Ostschweiz am SonntagExternal link report.
In the city of Bern around 50 fake documents are uncovered each year, with the Balkans, Turkey, Russia, China and Brazil being the main sources, a senior Bern police official is quoted as saying.
The authorities have a special passport reading device to hunt out the offending documents. But at CHF23,000, it’s too expensive for most communes, the newspapers say.
The Association of Swiss Residential Services says local authorities are at the frontline of identity checks. Their residential sections are the first to see an applicant’s identity documents when they register with the commune. The cantonal migration services will ultimately decide whether to grant residency, but often only get copies of the original documents. It’s therefore important to check documents extremely carefully, the association said.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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.
Read more
More
Chinese illegal immigrants live in the shadows
This content was published on
Huxian* is Portuguese, born in 1981 on the island of Macao, near Hong Kong. At least, this is what it says on his European Union passport, issued in 2007. In reality, Huxian hails from Fujian, a province in south-east China. He is not yet 30 and doesn’t speak a word of Portuguese. He has only…
Renewal of Swiss residence permits depends on integration
This content was published on
The seven-member executive body adopted the new regulations on Wednesday as part of the revision of the Act on Foreign Nationals. The new rules will enter into force in 2019. + How to obtain a work permit in Switzerland Various permits may be renewed directly if it appears that a foreigner’s integration into Swiss society is…
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.