Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Geneva residents report feeling much safer as crime levels fall dramatically

Crime figures in Geneva have returned to the same level as 20 years ago, cantonal police said on Tuesday, while a survey of residents showed they feel significantly safer.

Published: 28 June 2017 09:54 CEST
Updated: 28 June 2017 11:15 CEST
Geneva residents report feeling much safer as crime levels fall dramatically
File photo of Geneva: gary718/Depositphotos

In the 2016 survey, one in three people (34.2 percent) said they felt unsafe, compared to one in two (49.9 percent) in the last edition of the survey, taken in 2013.

Only 14.1 percent said they saw safety and security as the “number one problem” in the area, which was by far the lowest percentage since the police began the triennial survey in 2004. In 2013, 37.8 percent of people labelled safety as their top worry, while in 2010 that figure had been 44.2 percent.

A further 35.7 percent said safety was “a general worry”, representing a significant drop from 45.2 percent in 2013 and 73.9 percent in 2010.

The feeling of safety was reflected in a positive perception of Geneva's police and security forces, with security rated on average 6.7 out of ten in 2016's survey, up from 5.8 three years earlier. Just under 69.9 percent said they thought the police were doing a good job, with the majority of the remaining respondents expressing no opinion and just 8.6 percent viewing the police force negatively.

Police said the results of the local security survey were “more than encouraging” – and that they reflected a decline in criminality across the area.

READ ALSO: The weirdest cases reported to Swiss police

After reaching a record high level in 2011, instances of criminality have fallen each year in Geneva, with police saying minor crimes in particular had seen “a spectacular drop”.

In 2016, there were 35 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants; almost half the figure in 2011 (65). The decline was particularly strong in Vernier and the City of Geneva, though the latter remained the area with the canton's highest crime rate, with 48 offenses committed per 1,000 inhabitants last year.

The number of burglaries dropped from 31.2 percent in 2013, while instances of robberies fell from 13.8 percent to 10.2 percent. Physical and sexual assaults were down from 11.4 percent to 8.8 percent.

The number of accidents causing death or injury, including road accidents, had also fallen slightly.

“The decline is such that the canton of Geneva today has lower crime rates than those recorded since the introduction of the national police crime statistics in 2009,” said police.

“Where comparable data are available, current levels are so low that we have to go back to the mid-1990s or even the previous decade to see similar figures.”

Online scams and data thefts however were up compared to 2013, with the crime rate rising from 21.5 percent to 25.1 percent.

To get the results, police questioned a representative sample of almost 5,000 people and analyzed crime statistics in order to develop policing strategies.

READ ALSO: Switzerland ranked as world's safest country

PROTESTS

How free are people to protest in Switzerland?

As a centre of international diplomacy and cooperation and with its unique system of direct democracy, Switzerland enjoys a reputation for upholding fundamental human rights—but how free are the Swiss to express their opposition to power?

Published: 24 April 2024 15:25 CEST
How free are people to protest in Switzerland?

In its recently released 2024 report, Amnesty International criticised Switzerland for imposing restrictions on the right to protest and for dispersing protests violently. 

So what’s the problem? 

While not an explicit ban on protest, Amnesty International considers the obligation in some Swiss cantons for protest organisers to gain official approval and shoulder potential costs to be a repressive measure—essentially a ‘workaround’ in cooling dissent.

Amnesty International’s criticism comes on the heels of other concerns.   

In 2024, Amnesty International joined with the United Nations in criticizing moves by some Swiss cantons and cities to ban protests regarding the Middle East conflict as ‘disproportionate’. 

Read More: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland

The organization has also highlighted the continued use of rubber bullets by Swiss police in dispersing protests as a serious area of concern. 

Furthermore, any changes to protests are controlled or permitted in Switzerland must be made through individual cantons due to the country’s devolution of specific powers – a process that could take years. 

So what restrictions have been introduced in Switzerland?

In early March, the ‘Anti-Chaoten’ initiative put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) youth wing, which would have placed significant legal and financial burdens on protesters, was rejected in a Zurich cantonal referendum. However, a counterproposal by cantonal authorities was accepted at the polls.

The successful counterproposal requires explicit permission from authorities to hold a protest or rally, as well as passing on the cost of the police operation, as well as any intentional damage, to protest organizers. Failure to gain approval for protests can result in charges being laid. 

Following the success of the Zurich measure, the Basel SVP intends to introduce a similar proposal to be voted on in August – with the same likely result.

Which protests have been dispersed violently in Switzerland? 

Due to global events, protests have become increasingly common in Switzerland over the last five years. Most have been peaceful, but there have been exceptions.

Measures introduced to limit the spread of the coronavirus between 2020 and 2022 led to violent protests being dispersed in Bern, Zurich and Lucerne. 

Read More: Switzerland to impose tougher penalties for violent protesters

Climate change protests have also been violently dispersed by police, using pepper spray and rubber bullets – such as in Basel in February 2023.

Amnesty International has also raised serious concerns regarding the police dispersal of an International Women’s Day protest in Basel on March 17th of this year, in which rubber bullets were also used. 

Most recently, opponents of the Eritrean regime were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons at a demonstration in Gerlafingen, Aargau, on March 31st. 

What right do the Swiss have to protest? 

The right to peaceful protest is enshrined in the Swiss federal constitution—Article 16 provides for freedom of expression, while Article 23 protects the right to free association. 

Indeed, in 2020, the country successfully introduced a resolution to the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for world governments to protect the right to protest and not use the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to curtail freedoms. 

Read More: What foreigners should know about the Swiss constitution

Furthermore, the country is a signatory to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as well as the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which could have some bearing on how protests are dispersed.  

SHOW COMMENTS