Most crimes fall in Switzerland except cyber crime, violence against police: report

GENEVA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Crime in Switzerland fell by 6.1 percent last year, with a marked decrease in burglaries and crimes committed by non-Swiss residents, but with more cyber crime and violence against police reported, the Federal Statistical Office said Monday.

Some 429,000 crimes were reported in Switzerland in 2107, a drop of 170,000 compared to 2012, the government report said.

Despite the overall downward trend in crimes, there were more criminal offenses of violence and threats to police last year.

The increase could be related a more restrictive policing policy, according to the Conference of Cantonal Police Directors.

Cyber crime also increased. There were nine percent more cases of unauthorized data collection and four percent more cases of fraudulent misuse of an IT system.

Burglaries, representing more than two-thirds of all criminal offenses in Switzerland, were down six percent over the previous year.

The number of crimes committed in Switzerland has been declining over the last five years, said the report.

Theft, not including stolen cars, dropped by 15 percent and fraud by 16 percent.

The report also found that the number of crimes committed by foreigners without a residence permit in Switzerland fell by around five percent.

A large majority of crimes -- 79 percent -- were committed by people with permanent residency, including both Swiss and foreign nationals.

In a statement, the Conference of Cantonal Police Directors described the report's findings as "extremely positive".

It noted that such a reduction in crime was particularly remarkable "in light of the demanding and increasingly complex security situation" that Switzerland faces. Enditem