Two 17-year-old French nationals responsible for 14 car garage burglaries in Switzerland
Bern cantonal police have arrested two underage French nationals responsible for 14 burglaries in car garages. Stolen goods valued at approximately 450,000 francs.
Bern police apprehend underage car thieves – stolen goods worth 450,000 francs
According to aargauerzeitung.ch, the Bern cantonal police and the Bern youth prosecution announced on Thursday the arrest of two 17-year-old French nationals accused of a total of 14 burglaries – primarily in car garages.
The burglary series began in November 2025. The two youths are believed to have been active between November 2025 and February 2026 in the cantons of Bern, Zug and Valais. On two occasions they escaped with stolen luxury cars across the border into France. The stolen goods amount to approximately 450,000 francs, with property damage totalling 90,000 francs.
The perpetrators were exposed during two specific operations: first during a burglary of a car garage in Wynigen, then during another in Meiringen. On both occasions, a cantonal police patrol interrupted the crime and arrested several persons. The two underage suspects have made partial confessions and have since been released from pre-trial detention.
The case is not an isolated incident. Since the beginning of 2025, the Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) has registered at least 435 burglaries or burglary attempts of car garages across Switzerland – with 116 cases already this year alone. In light of this development, the federal government and cantons established a national task force in April. "The focus is explicitly on identifying, investigating and dismantling the criminal structures and organisers behind these crimes," according to Fedpol, which is assuming a coordinating role in the task force.
According to investigators, the perpetrators are predominantly hopeless prospects, frequently underage French nationals from suburban areas. Masterminds recruit them via social media and offer between 500 and 10,000 euros per operation. This has repeatedly resulted in dangerous pursuits and accidents.
Initial investigation successes are emerging. St. Gallen cantonal police, for instance, registered 36 garage burglaries from the beginning of the year to early April and arrested 28 persons, mostly immediately after the crime. The Bern cases demonstrate that coordinated investigations are increasingly proving effective – although the burglary series continues across Switzerland.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)