Crime in Switzerland

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

There is also a special group called the Federal Office of Police. This group focuses on bigger issues like organized crime, hiding money illegally, and keeping people safe from serious threats.

Switzerland uses a mix of local and national efforts to fight crime and protect its citizens.

Crime statistics

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

Some types of wrongdoings have changed over the years. For example, reports about certain serious acts increased, while others decreased slightly. Many people who were found guilty of wrongdoings were male, and most were Swiss citizens. Young people sometimes make mistakes too — in 2021, many young people admitted to doing 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 held in Swiss prisons or waiting for their trials. Many of these individuals were people living in Switzerland, while others were visitors or without a permanent home in the country. Some were taking part in programs to help them improve.

Crime by type

See also: Economy of Switzerland

Sometimes, people in Switzerland get into trouble for doing things like taking money without permission, cheating on taxes, or other unfair business actions. 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 of countries who aren’t free, bad people in gangs, or others who cheat on their taxes.

Doing things to hide where money really comes from is against the law in Switzerland. In 2017, there were almost 4,700 reports about possible illegal money actions. By 2025, this number went up to 21,000.

There’s a special office that looks at these reports to see if the police need to act. They had 55 investigators in 2025.

Drugs

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

In 2017, using drugs was the most common reason why kids between 10 and 18 got in trouble with the police. Dealing drugs has gone down since 2010.

More young people in Switzerland are using cannabis now than ten years ago. In 2017, nine percent of people aged 15 to 24 said they used cannabis the month before.

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

Theft

See also: Transport in Switzerland

In 2021, about 19 cars were stolen each day in Switzerland. And in 2022, around 40,000 bikes were stolen.

Burglary

In 2022, Swiss police recorded over 35,000 break-ins. This was a big jump of about 15 percent from the year before.

Homicide

In 2019, there were 161 tries to hurt people badly and 46 people were killed. This means about half a killing for every 100,000 people, which is one of the lowest numbers in the world. Most of these happened inside families or close groups.

Cybercriminality

In 2016, over 14,000 cybercrimes were reported in Switzerland. By 2021, this number went up to about 30,000 crimes happening online.

In 2023, Switzerland’s government was attacked by hackers who tried to steal important secrets.

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 their race, ethnicity, or other things that make them special.

In 2019, more than 350 cases of unfair treatment because of a person’s background were reported. These included being mean to people from other countries, people with dark skin, and people who follow Islam.

Corruption

Switzerland is known for being a place where people trust the government a lot. But some people say that the way things are set up can sometimes push politicians or judges to make bad choices.

White collar crime

In 2020, Swiss courts handled 52 big cases of cheating or fraud that cost about $384 million. 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. Studies have shown that 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 that makes it easier to send non-Swiss people who commit serious crimes, such as murder or breaking into homes, out of the country. This law does not allow judges to decide on a case-by-case basis, which means everyone who commits these crimes will be sent away, no matter their situation.

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, criminals, and others 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 is made of 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 by fifty percent between 2019 and 2021, from 142 to 207. Many of these people were made to work in jobs they did not want, and some were made to do other unfair jobs.