Crime in Switzerland

Crime in Switzerland

Crime in Switzerland is mostly handled by local police teams in each area, called cantonal police. These teams work every day to keep communities safe.

There is also a special group called the Federal Office of Police. This group looks after bigger issues like organized crime and keeping people safe.

Crime statistics

In Switzerland, police noted about 432,000 wrongdoings in 2019. The most common were thefts, which were about a quarter of all cases. Another common type was stealing vehicles, like bicycles.

Some types of wrongdoings have changed over the years. Reports about some serious acts went up, while others went down a little. Many people found guilty of wrongdoings were male, and most were Swiss citizens. Young people can sometimes make mistakes — in 2021, many young people said they did things like shoplifting or carrying weapons.

^a 2016 conviction numbers may not include convictions overturned on appeal.

^ Due to privacy protection laws some convictions are not included.

^a 2016 conviction numbers may not include convictions overturned on appeal.

^ Due to privacy protection laws some convictions are not included.

^a 2014 conviction numbers may not include convictions overturned on appeal.

^a 2014 conviction numbers may not include convictions overturned on appeal.

Incarceration

In 2017, 6,863 people were in Swiss prisons or waiting for their trials. Most were living in Switzerland, but some were visitors or without a permanent home. Many were in programs to help them improve.

Crime by type

See also: Economy of Switzerland

Sometimes, people in Switzerland get into trouble for things like taking money without permission or cheating. These problems happen in about 35 percent of companies.

Money laundering

See also: Anti-Money Laundering Act (Switzerland), Banking in Switzerland § Connection to illegal activities, and Know your customer

Swiss banks sometimes keep money for people who aren’t allowed to have it, like leaders who aren’t free or people in gangs.

Hiding where money really comes from is against the law in Switzerland. There were many reports about this, and a special office checks these reports.

Drugs

See also: Health in Switzerland § Illegal drugs, Cannabis in Switzerland, and Legal status of cocaine

Using drugs was a common reason why kids got in trouble with the police. Dealing drugs has gone down since 2010.

More young people in Switzerland are using cannabis now.

Some cities in Switzerland, like Basel and Geneva, are places where cocaine often comes into Europe.

Theft

See also: Transport in Switzerland

In 2021, many cars were stolen each day in Switzerland. And in 2022, many bikes were stolen.

Burglary

In 2022, Swiss police recorded many break-ins. This was a big jump from the year before.

Homicide

In 2019, there were some cases where people were hurt badly and a few people were killed. Most of these happened inside families or close groups.

Cybercriminality

In 2016, many cybercrimes were reported in Switzerland. By 2021, this number went up.

In 2023, Switzerland’s government was attacked by hackers.

Hate crimes

See also: Immigration to Switzerland § Racism

In Switzerland, it’s against the law to treat people badly or call them names because of who they are.

In 2019, many cases of unfair treatment because of a person’s background were reported.

Corruption

Switzerland is known for being a place where people trust the government a lot. But sometimes, the way things are set up can lead to bad choices.

White collar crime

In 2020, Swiss courts handled many big cases of cheating or fraud. Most of these cases were about tricking people with social security or insurance money.

Crime dynamics

The crime rate among people who have moved to live in Switzerland can be different depending on where they come from. Some groups have lower crime rates than Swiss citizens, while others have higher rates. For example, people from Germany, France, and Austria tend to have lower crime rates, whereas people from places like Angola, Nigeria, and Algeria have higher rates.

In 2010, Swiss voters approved a new law. This law makes it easier to send non-Swiss people who commit serious crimes out of the country. This law does not allow judges to decide on a case-by-case basis.

Organized crime

See also: Corruption in Switzerland § Banking, Banking in Switzerland, Italian mafia, Romanian mafia, Albanian mafia § Switzerland, and Russian mafia

Swiss banks have helped hide money for leaders and criminals who break rules.

In 2022, Swiss news said one of Switzerland's top law experts was almost hurt by a plan made by the government and a group of criminals from another country.

According to Switzerland's top lawyer in 2022, one big problem is that his team cannot see all the crime happening because Switzerland has many parts that work mostly on their own. He also said his team needs more helpers to do their work well.

In May 2023, a group and its leader were punished for helping a criminal group from Russia move money around the world using fake companies. The leader said he was just linked to them by reputation.

In 2023, Switzerland was said to be a good hiding place for bad groups that move drugs, weapons, or people, or steal from banks.

According to Switzerland's police in 2020, about 400 members of a criminal group from another country lived in Switzerland.

According to Switzerland's police in 2025, there is a real chance that bad groups that move illegal drugs could get control over Switzerland's government.

Starting in 2026, Switzerland's police will start new steps to find and stop organized crime, especially in watching for information, hiding money, and buying buildings.

Human trafficking

Main articles: Human trafficking in Switzerland and Prostitution in Switzerland

The number of people forced to work against their will in Switzerland went up between 2019 and 2021. Many of these people were made to work in jobs they did not want.