Every year, the FSO publishes a national report on the crime situation in Switzerland. Overall, the number of offences has fallen. This reduction is linked to the confinement that Switzerland experienced last year. The number of burglaries and pickpocketing fell by 9%. More frequent border controls and a greater presence of people in their own homes had a major influence on this decline. In 2020, however, there were an average of 90 burglaries a day!

New this year, the FSO has included offences committed on the Internet in its report. There are over 24,000 digital criminal offences, divided into several categories: cyber-economic crime (84.2%), cyber-sexual crime (10.7%) and cyber-damage to reputation and unfair practices (5.1%).

Another worrying increase is that of domestic violence. Figures vary from canton to canton, but generally speaking, the trend was upwards in 2020.

GENEVA
The canton recorded a rise in noise complaints, an increase in increasingly violent fights between young people and a 16% rise in domestic violence.

VAUD
The canton of Vaud recorded a general decline in crime: burglaries and violence (except in Lausanne). No cross-country carrier attacks were recorded in 2020. However, Vaud statistics reflect the national trend, with an increase in digital fraud.

BERN
The canton of Bern recorded a sharp increase of over 20% in the number of cases of domestic violence in 2020. These cases mainly concerned couples or former couples. Berne also saw a sharp rise in cases of offences against authority (demonstrations, obstructing an official act, etc.), an increase directly linked to the federal measures taken to combat the coronavirus.

For more details on the 2020 crime report, you can find the full report here: SPC 2020 report.