In Geneva, five men aged between 38 and 56 have been sentenced to prison for their roles in two violent home invasions — or "homejackings".
The Geneva Criminal Court handed down prison terms ranging from 4 years 5 months, to 7.5 years on Monday. The man considered the ‘mastermind’ received 6 years.
One case dates back to May 2021, when two suspects broke into a home in Plainpalais, caught a man by surprise in his bedroom, and stole CHF 12,000.
The most severe penalties went to two brothers from France who were found guilty of assaulting an elderly couple at their home in Cartigny in February of last year. The men will be deported after their sentence has been served.
Other men believed to be involved in the same home-jacking will be tried in France.
Police say the cases are part of a worrying trend of cross-border criminal activity targeting Swiss households.
A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.
Two Annemasse municipal officers have been attacked by a woman this week, in the latest incident to fuel concerns about violence in the cross-border town.