The Maghreb car burglars: North Africans are setting theft records

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Thefts and burglaries are skyrocketing: the police receive reports of them almost every day. In many cases the perpetrators come from North Africa, often young Algerians, as ‘Switzerland am Weekend’ writes.

It is unlikely that many of them traveled to Switzerland hoping for a positive asylum decision. Asylum applications from people from the Maghreb states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya are in difficult conditions: from January to September 2023, only 9 out of 1,485 applications were approved.

Police seize group

In the canton of Aargau, the number of crimes committed by people from the Maghreb states increased by 75 percent in the first six weeks of the year. Last year, the number of car thefts in Aargau more than doubled to 1,782 cases – now there are signs of a new record. If the Aargau police can solve a theft, the perpetrators come from the Maghreb in 83 percent of the cases.

A clear pattern also emerges among those arrested: they are all asylum seekers, in many cases with a rejected application and a large number are still minors. According to the cantonal police, there is no evidence that the crimes were organized. However, the perpetrators often traveled by public transport from other cantons to Aargau to commit their crime there.

Over the weekend of February 9 to 11, authorities arrested 18 people from North Africa. The group is said to be responsible for about 50 car thefts in Aargau. “We were clearly at the limit with our resources,” police spokeswoman Corina Winkler told “Switzerland in the Weekend”.

Unruly behavior among detainees

The detainees behaved very provocatively and shouted around the cells, urinated and did the big things. In many cases, it is likely that drugs or alcohol are involved. Medical examinations, interpreters: the cantonal police are fully required. Winkler speaks of “an extraordinary situation” – a limit has been reached.

The whole thing is complicated by the lack of data exchange between the cantons. This means that the police cannot see whether someone has already committed a crime in another canton. Plans for a corresponding database are currently being consulted in Bern.

Prison sentences hardly help

The judiciary also lacks the resources: the perpetrators should not have to fear consequences from their employers if they are taken into custody, Adrian Schuler, media spokesperson for the Aargau Public Prosecutor’s Office, told the weekly. Moreover, they were not impressed with alternative prison sentences. “Without being integrated into society, the tools of law enforcement are of limited use,” the spokesperson said. For many offenders, a stay in prison is more pleasant than an asylum stay.

A task force called “Crime Stop” aims to help combat the wave of crimes. It was launched last summer. Yet the situation remains extremely difficult for the police and the public prosecutor’s office. (smt)

Source:Blick