Switzerland sees record levels of theft in 2023

Thefts of or from a vehicle increased by as much as 71.4% to 18,192 offences. KEYSTONE

The number of criminal offences in Switzerland rose by 14% to 522,558 last year. Thefts of or from a vehicle increased by as much as 71.4% to 18,192 offences – the highest figures since the statistics were introduced in 2009.

According to the police crime statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday, almost 70% of the crimes committed were crimes against property. Theft, including vehicle theft, accounted for more than half of these crimes.

There was also an increase in digital crime, which rose by almost a third compared to the previous year to 43,839 offences, according to the FSO. Most cases are attributable to cyber-economic crime, which also increased by more than a third last year.

There were also significant increases in cases of phishing, misuse of online payment systems and goods paid for but not delivered from classified ad platforms.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/ts

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