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CRIME

Which crimes are on the rise in Switzerland?

Switzerland has a low crime rate and is deemed safer than many other European countries. But the latest statistics show that some serious offences rose last year.

Published: 25 March 2024 15:16 CET
Which crimes are on the rise in Switzerland?
Swiss police (here in Geneva) recorded more homicides and thefts. Photo by STEFAN WERMUTH / AFP

New police data published on Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows that in 2023, thefts reported in Switzerland hit a record-high number, and homicides have increased as well.

Let’s look at these numbers.

Murders

Overall, 2,057 serious violent offences (5.9 percent more compared to 2022) were reported in Switzerland in 2023. 

Among them were 53 homicides — nine more than during the previous year — and higher than the 48 that has been the average figure since 2009.

Burglaries, thefts and online crimes

Police registered 41,429 break-ins in 2023 — 15.9 percent more than the year prior.

And while 98 burglaries were reported per day (on average) in 2022, that number went up to 114 in 2023.

READ ALSO: Which parts of Switzerland have the highest (and lowest) violent crime rates?

The number of other thefts also increased.

The number of stolen vehicles (54,5179), for instance, was 17.5 percent higher than in 2022.

However, the theft of valuables from vehicles has exploded: 18,192 reports (a 71 percent increase) — the highest figure ever.

The number of online crimes had also gone up in 2023

Some 29,314 such cases were reported to the police — a jump of 31.5 percent.

Most involved economic cybercrime, up 36.5 percent; ‘phishing (70 percent), and card or identity theft (66 percent).

READ ALSO: How to avoid the most common online scams in Switzerland 

Which crime rates have dropped or remained stable?

The number of recorded drug-related offences had decreased by 1.5 percent.

Compared to 2022, the number of recorded cases of sexual assault also fell — by (3.2 percent).

The number of domestic violence reports (19,918), however, remained at the same level as over the last four years, FSO found.

This figure includes not only actual acts of violence, but also threats and insults.

READ ALSO: Switzerland to stop foreign domestic violence victims losing residence permits

Does this hike in certain crimes mean Switzerland is less safe now?

No.

Overall, Switzerland’s crime rate is still low in comparison to many other nations.

In fact, Switzerland ranks among Top-10 safest countries in the world, according to this index.

And the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), also found that “in Switzerland, 86 percent of people say they feel safe walking alone at night, more than the OECD average of 74 percent”.

Further, “the homicide rate (the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants) is a more reliable measure of a country’s safety level because, unlike other crimes, murders are usually always reported to the police”.

According to the latest OECD data, Switzerland’s homicide rate is 0.3, which is much lower than the OECD average of 2.6, and one of the lowest in the OECD.

READ ALSO : How safe is Switzerland compared to the rest of Europe?

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CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: How scammers in Switzerland target foreigners

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': How scammers in Switzerland target foreigners

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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