Police, border guards, working more closely than in past
Geneva's borders more open than in the past, so police cooperation is being stepped up
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Quick coordinated work between border guards and police in Geneva and Lausanne Monday 13 December has resulted in three French youths, ages 19-22, being arrested after they crossed into Switzerland from France with a car they hijacked in Lausanne 9 December. One youth was driving the black Mercedes, spotted by a border guard in Geneva at 14:40. His car was accompanied by another, a Saab. The Mercedes was taken at knifepoint in the centre of Lausanne Saturday 9 December at 16:00.
The three live in Isère, France. They were arrested near Palexpo after the border guards alerted Geneva police, who contacted the judge in charge of the Lausanne carjacking. He promptly issued an arrest warrant and the threesome is behind bars in Lausanne.
The incident underscores the growing cooperation between police and customs officials working on both sides of the border. Le Matin reported over the weekend that police in Geneva and France are on the verge of signing an agreement to use a new radio transmission system that will have a better range than current systems, to be based in the Police and Customs Cooperation Centre near the airport in Geneva. The new system is part of larger plans, throughout Europe, to improve cross-border police cooperation since border controls ended as part of the Schengen Area agreement.
Divonne-les-bains, France (GenevaLunch) – A Saturday 11 December carjacking in Divonne, France over the border from Founex, in canton Vaud, Switzerland, is the third in the region since October, according to Dauphine Liberé and 20 Minutes (Fre). The driver left the keys in the ignition while he ran an errand, with his companion sitting in the passenger seat. A man threatened the woman with a gun, then stole the car, an Audi with Swiss plates.
