Increase in property crimes in 2023

The increase is due in particular to property crime (+17.6%), which increased for the second year in a row. An increase was also recorded in digital crime (+31.5%). As in the previous year, more serious violent crimes (+5.9%) were registered in 2023. There was an increase of 4.3% in the number of accused persons. This is according to the police crime statistics (PKS) from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

While offences against the Criminal Code increased in 2023, the number of police-registered offences against the Narcotics Act (NarcA) fell by -1.5% to 54,458 offences. In contrast, an increase of 21.5% was recorded for the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (AIG) (total: 43,180 offenses).

High increase in theft and fraud

Almost 70% of the offenses against the Criminal Code are property offenses (354,967), more than half of which are theft (including vehicle theft). Compared to the previous year, the 2023 PCS recorded an increase of 17.5% to 54,517 vehicle theft offenses and an increase of 71.4% to 18,192 offenses involving theft from or from a vehicle. These are the highest figures since the statistics were introduced in 2009.

As in 2022, the number of burglaries and thefts (41,429) increased in 2023 (+15.9%). While the police registered an average of 98 burglaries and thefts per day in 2022, this figure rose to 114 in 2023. In addition, 29,314 fraud crimes were registered by the police, the highest figure for 15 years (+21.2%). Almost 80% of the fraud offenses involved a digital crime.

Digital crime continues to rise

Overall, digital crime is largely made up of property crimes (79.8%). Since the first publication in 2020, an increase in digital crime has been recorded in the PCS every year. For 2023, 43,839 crimes with a digital offense were registered. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of 31.5%. The largest proportion (40,496 offenses) was cyber-economic crime, which increased by 36.5% in 2023. This was due in particular to the increase in cases of phishing (+69.8%), the misuse of online payment systems or another person's identity for fraudulent purposes (+66.1%) and goods paid for but not delivered on classified ad platforms (+23.1%). Cyber sexual offenses, on the other hand, fell again by 7.4% (-209 crimes) after an increase in 2022.

Further increase in serious violent crime

The total number of violent crimes (47,381) also increased in 2023 to 1.5%. However, the number of violent crimes per 1000 inhabitants remains at a similar level to the past five years (5.4).
The total of 2057 registered serious violent crimes (+5.9%) is the highest figure since the statistics were introduced in 2009. The number of completed homicides increased by 26.2%. 53 homicides were registered (2022: 42). This figure is above the average since 2009 (48 homicides). The number of attempted homicides (total: 229 offenses, +17.4%) and grievous bodily harm (total: 880 offenses, +15.5%) also increased. On the other hand, rape (total: 839 offenses, -3.2%) and aggravated robbery (total: 51 offenses, -25.0%) decreased compared to the previous year.

With a total of 19,918 offenses, domestic crimes are at a similar level to the previous four years. Of all completed homicides, slightly less than half (47.2%) were committed in the domestic area. This proportion is lower than in the past five years. The persons killed in (former) partnerships were 14 women and 2 men. Within a family or other relationship, 4 girls and 5 adults (2 women, 3 men) were killed.

More accused persons than in the previous year

In 2023, 90,403 people were registered by the police as accused of an offense against the Criminal Code. The number of minors rose by 4.2% to 11,032 persons, the number of young adults by 3.7% to 13,792 and the number of adults by 4.5% to 65,549. Among adults over 24 years of age, this is the highest figure since 2009. Around 44.3% of all accused persons are Swiss nationals (2022: 47.0%), 31.2% belong to the permanent foreign resident population (2022: 32.1%), 6.6% to the asylum population (2022: 4.2%) and 17.9% belong to the group of other foreign nationals (2022: 16.8%).

Source: Federal Statistical Office