Violent crime in the police crime statistics (PCS) is composed of three concepts: violence, sexualised violence and domestic violence. The three concepts of violence are based on different definitions, nevertheless they overlap in terms of content.
Violent crime
Violence includes all criminal offences of the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC) that include the intentional use or threat of physical force against persons. Offences that do not require the use of physical force are not included. The context in which the offence took place is irrelevant.
The articles of the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC) are available for recording sexualised violence in the police crime statistics (PKS). The term sexualised violence includes offences that involve violence and in particular sexual acts that are threatened, forced or imposed on a minor or adult without their explicit consent and against their will.
Sexualised violence can take place in different forms and contexts. It also includes, among other things, the aspect of exploiting dependency and the exercise of power and dominance.
More detailed information can be found under Sexualised violence.
Domestic violence is defined by the relationship between the accused person and the victim at the time of the crime. Domestic violence includes partnership relations and other intrafamily relationships. The criminal offences of the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC) that are classified as domestic violence in the police crime statistics (PCS) include an intentional violation of the physical, psychological or sexual integrity of a person. The use or threat of physical violence is not mandatory.
More detailed information can be found under Domestic Violence.
Offences of the three concepts of violence
Criminal offences of the SCC that are taken into account for the respective concepts of violence can be seen in the following table:
Definition
Offences
Homicides
Violence includes all criminal offences in the SCC that include the intentional use or threat of physical violence against persons. Depending on their type and severity, criminal offences are divided into various broad categories.
Severe violence
Severe violence includes offenses clearly involving the use of force. Offences of severe violence are:
- intentional homicide (art. 111), murder (art. 112), manslaughter (Art. 113), infanticide (art. 116)
- serious assault (art. 122)
- female genital mutilation (art. 124)
- robbery with serious harm to the victim (art. 140 para. 4)
- hostage taking (art. 185)
- rape (art. 190)
Minor violence (deliberate, event. threaten)
Minor violence, deliberate or eventually threatened, contains offenses clearly involving the use of force, such as common assault (art. 123 CC). However, it also includes offenses in which both used and threatened violence are possible forms of commission, such as, for example coercion (art. 181 CC):
- common assault (art. 123)
- acts of aggression (art. 126)
- brawl (art. 133)
- attack (art. 134)
- robbery (art. 140 para. 1-3)
- predatory extortion (art. 156 para. 3)
- coercion (art. 181)
- forced marriage, forced registered partnership (art. 181a)
- false imprisonment and abduction (art. 183)
- false imprisonment and abduction: aggravating circumstances (art. 184)
- indecent assault (art. 189)
- violence and threats against public authorities and public officials (art. 285)
Minor violence (threaten)
Minor threatened violence is limited to the threat of violence:
- extortion (art. 156 para. 1, 2, 4)
- threatening behaviour (art. 180)
In 2023, the police registered 47 381 violence offences in Switzerland, which is 1,5% more (+ 694 offences) than in the previous year. The increase of severe violence is 5,9% (+ 115 offences). Minor violence deliberate or eventually threatened increased 0,4% (+ 119 offences) and minor threatened violence 3,9% (+ 460 offences).
Severe violence accounted for 4,3% of the total violence in 2023. The most frequent recorded offences belong to minor violence, which are acts of aggression with a share of 30,3%, threatening behavior with 22,4% and common assault with 15,7%.
In the PCS, the term "homicides" includes attempted or perpetrated homicides registered by the police according to art. 111 intentional homicide, art. 112 murder, art. 113 manslaughter or art. 116 infanticide of the CC.
The following table details the number of homicides committed by instrument used, detection rate as well as the number of accused persons and victims for the years 2009 to 2023.
Detailed data regarding homicides within domestic violence can be found under Domestic violence.
Further information
Statistical sources and concepts
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Crime and Criminal JusticeEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland