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Nyon, Vaud, a town of charming homes and businesses

Lake Geneva region (GenevaLunch) - Police in Vaud, presenting the annual cantonal crime statistics, said that residential break-ins rose 22 percent in 2008, boosting the overall rate of crime, up 8.3 percent. In the past 10 years the rate of criminal activity has risen 34 percent, while the population in Vaud has gone up by only 12 percent.

In total, the police registered 38,638 crimes in 2008, and some 4,340 people were charged with crimes (drugs not included).

Police are particularly “preoccupied” by the increase in violent crimes and the fact that 58 percent of crimes are committed by people under the age of 25.

Map, Vaud cantonal police, rate of break-ins by commune, 2008 (per population of 1,000)

Police Cantonal Vaud (click on image to view larger)

House burglaries rose by 11 percent but the figure was 27 percent for apartments, and police are reminding people to take adequate measure to protect their homes and possessions. They point the finger at well-organized groups of skilled thieves from eastern Europe and in particular Georgia. Burglaries of businesses also rose, by 19 percent.

In order of the highest number of crimes registered, Lausanne is followed by Montreux, Vevey, Nyons, Morges and Renens, more or less in relation to the size of the populations in these communes. The number of break-ins ranged from 261 in Morges to 402 in Montreux and over 3,000 in Lausanne.

Related: police statistics from Vaud on types of crimes committed and rate of increase or decrease, 2008