Why Switzerland Has The Lowest Crime Rate In The World

[PlayboyPenguin]

The real reason they have such a low crime rate is one Of which most people on this forum would not approve. The social programs they have in place to reduce the causes of most crime would be shouted down as socialism here.

 

[gunnoob75]

Programs like what?

 

[bugeye]

I've been an admirer of the Swiss civilian - military system for a long time, and they have had it for a long time. While this is a good system for military defense it isn't very good for offense, because I suspect most of them would simply say NO.

To say this system is why the crime rate is low though, is an abstraction. I think to look at the rifles and say that is it, misses the more significant point that they can have such a system in the first place. This is a matter of the Swiss character and we can't have that here, even though I suspect we have more guns per capita (yeah many of them owned by the criminals).

 

[drand]

The Swiss pay higher taxes but in return there is universal health care and welfare that provides a basic level of subsidence for everyone.

 

[Blackfeather7]

The real reason they have such a low crime rate is one Of which most people on this forum would not approve. The social programs they have in place to reduce the causes of most crime would be shouted down as socialism here.

Ahmen!

 

[gunnoob75]

...Again, what programs?

 

[Blackfeather7]

I've been an admirer of the Swiss civilian - military system for a long time, and they have had it for a long time. While this is a good system for military defense it isn't very good for offense, because I suspect most of them would simply say NO.

To say this system is why the crime rate is low though, is an abstraction. I think to look at the rifles and say that is it, misses the more significant point that they can have such a system in the first place. This is a matter of the Swiss character and we can't have that here, even though I suspect we have more guns per capita (yeah many of them owned by the criminals).

Maybe this is one of the reasons the crime rate is low. They have a good social system that takes care of its people so they don't have a large, angry underclass, they don't engage in aggressive wars and they are ready to defend their system and their freedoms.

Also, "he Swiss franc is the currency of Switzerland. This is one of the world's most stable currencies, thanks to the neutrality, fiercely conservative monetary policy and ample gold reserves of the Swiss national bank."

 

[elsullo]

I don't know if it is still true, but the Swiss have always had mandatory, universal conscription, a military draft with almost no exceptions for males and "civil defense" training offered for females. There are various yearly civil defense drill days too for all citizens, a combination of holiday and martial assembly. Thus all citizens go through some form of mandatory military training and national service for a year or two. Everyone receives the experience of a patriotic service orientation and the experience of a national unity and teamwork with their fellow citizens, even if only a taste or for a holiday.

Now, the Swiss are a mostly homogenous national racial group with an ancient history of getting along with each other (not counting the bloody religious wars of the Reformation.) in spite of having three or four regional language groups! Their lands have not been stolen from each other with perpetual "tribal" grievances lingering. So it is relatively easy for them to feel a national unity. Still, they work at it.

I don't think a universal draft would be good for the USA. But we can certainly hope for more citizen unity and patriotic education. The ironic benefit of our recent national tragedies and wars is that we are doing pretty well at this. It may even be trickling down to our crime rates...................elsullo

 

[bugeye]

from Wikkipedia;

Military service for Swiss men is obligatory according to the Federal Constitution, and includes 18 or 21 weeks of basic training (depending on troop category) as well as annual 3-week-refresher courses until a number of service days which increases with rank (260 days for privates) is reached. Service for women is voluntary, but identical in all respects. Conscientious objectors can choose 390 days of community service instead of military service. Medical deferments and dismissals from basic training (often on somewhat dubious grounds) have increased significantly in the last years. Therefore, only about 55% to 60% of Swiss men actually complete basic training.
"

So, the terms of manditory military sevice for men in Switzerland is very different, and far less intrusive, then our American system of service. I really like this system, but you can't ship these people half way around to world to fight for a pipe dream, they won't go and their gov. darn well knows it!

 

[korntera]

This is a repost, please search before posting videos.

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16665&highlight=switzerland

 

[AGCR]

I've been an admirer of the Swiss civilian - military system for a long time, and they have had it for a long time. While this is a good system for military defense it isn't very good for offense, because I suspect most of them would simply say NO.
.

That's probably true now, but the Swiss are unique in having been one of the few militia forces which effectively fought ouside their home territory. During the middle ages and for several hundred years afterward, Swiss militias hired themselves out en mass for Europe's mercenary armies. The reason the Pope has a ceremonial Swiss guard still today is because they used to be the best soldiers you could buy. The word "soldier" of course meaning, one whose services are bought and sold. A couple factors ended this. Enough Swiss generals and soldiers were mercenaries that they frequently ended up being paid to fight each other, which became distasteful eventually, and the rest of Europe, tired of Switzerland having a monopoly on the local WMD's as it were, forced them into neutrality, which in the long run worked pretty well for them.

 

[AGCR]

"And when grade schoolers are indoctrinated with chants of "barrack hussein obama, mmmm, mmm, mmmm."

Look, regardless of what people think of Obama, this one incident doesn't mean all American kids are being indoctrinated. One teacher had kids sing a corny song about the first black president during black history month. One group in one school. Shoot, another group sang a song praising Bush after Katrina.

Seriously. In my public elementry school I remember there were posters of Ronald Reagan everywhere. And that was in Seattle. If that had been Obama people would be hysterical.

 

[michaels]

I've gotta speak up.

I LIVED in Switzerland for 4 years.

Now, let's look at some of the other laws they have.....

Junkies get heroin for free. From the government. Why? Stops crime.

95% of the work is union.

No, not like the unions we have here. The EMPLOYER pays the union dues, the government supports the unions. Strongly.

One man can work, 42.5 hours a week (the standard swiss work week) and support a wife and child(ren).

My last job in switzerland, I had 12 paid holidays, and 4 weeks paid vacation.
This was standard, from the day i signed on. (the holidays instantly, had to wait a year for the vacation)

If a family cannot afford healthcare, the government helps out.

Rent control. People are entitled to a decrease in rent depending on the (i forget which) market index.

I think the above conditions, contribute to a society that's not struggling or stressed out.

Therefore, not likely to commit crimes.

Yes, there are lots of guns.

Usually locked in the basement.

To all of you wonderfull people looking to move to Switzerland....

Parlez vous Francais?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

It's not the guns my friends....

It's workers rights and progressive taxation.

There is a strong middle class.

Not a disappearing like the one we have here.

 

[CEF1959]

Excellent post. Culture plays a huge role in violence crime. Simplistic ideas, such as those implied by the OP, are usually wrong.

 

[56kninja]

I agree with Michaels.. I have friends in European countries, and they just don't suffer the same crime issues we do . Things are different there, because people can reasonably support themselves.. So less people need to turn to crime.

But I bet that won't be acceptable to some our posters.

 

[bugeye]

I agree with Michaels.. I have friends in European countries, and they just don't suffer the same crime issues we do . Things are different there, because people can reasonably support themselves.. So less people need to turn to crime.

But I bet that won't be acceptable to some our posters.

The bond brokers and derivatives traders that nearly gave us a finanical stone age, can reasonably support themselves. Yet they have turned to crime, and are so darned good at it they made whatever they wanted to do, legal!

Not the disagreement you suspected I'm sure, but one nonetheless. In my life the crooks at the top have done me a lot more harm than the crooks at the bottom. Perhaps our best solution to end the most costly crime is not with guns, but with Guillotines. Hey, I just betcha the Swiss have more of them too, or at least the cultural memory of them, that is shared with the French.

 

[56kninja]

The bond brokers and derivatives traders that nearly gave us a finanical stone age, can reasonably support themselves. Yet they have turned to crime, and are so darned good at it they made whatever they wanted to do, legal!

Not the disagreement you suspected I'm sure, but one nonetheless. In my life the crooks at the top have done me a lot more harm than the crooks at the bottom. Perhaps our best solution to end the most costly crime is not with guns, but with Guillotines. Hey, I just betcha the Swiss have more of them too, or at least the cultural memory of them, that is shared with the French.

No. But I expected that people would realize that there is a great difference between the poor and rich.

I'm talking about the poor comitting crimes, not the rich. The rich commit crimes because of greed. Poor people start to steal out of a perceived necessity, which eventually grows into greed as well. But if they never had to start, then maybe that greed wouldn't kick in. There's a reason why Europe in general has less crime than we do, and doesn't have much to with easy or restricted access to a firearm.

Not that it would be very civilized, but I guarantee the guillotines would work very well.

 

[LogicBomb]

I've gotta speak up.

I LIVED in Switzerland for 4 years.

Now, let's look at some of the other laws they have.....

Junkies get heroin for free. From the government. Why? Stops crime.

95% of the work is union.

No, not like the unions we have here. The EMPLOYER pays the union dues, the government supports the unions. Strongly.

One man can work, 42.5 hours a week (the standard swiss work week) and support a wife and child(ren).

My last job in switzerland, I had 12 paid holidays, and 4 weeks paid vacation.
This was standard, from the day i signed on. (the holidays instantly, had to wait a year for the vacation)

If a family cannot afford healthcare, the government helps out.

Rent control. People are entitled to a decrease in rent depending on the (i forget which) market index.

I think the above conditions, contribute to a society that's not struggling or stressed out.

Therefore, not likely to commit crimes.

Yes, there are lots of guns.

Usually locked in the basement.

To all of you wonderfull people looking to move to Switzerland....

Parlez vous Francais?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

It's not the guns my friends....

It's workers rights and progressive taxation.

There is a strong middle class.

Not a disappearing like the one we have here.

you forgot FREE COLLEGE!!! as long as you make the grades your college is paid for all the way to a PHD

 

[unionguy]

I don't follow your logic. Religion, and background should be irrelevant. What should only be relevant is their belief in the way of life in America. Which should be founded on Freedom. All else will follow.

Start creating a disciplined group of young men and women as they leave high school, and things will begin to improve. Not over night, but if people are shown a way, and shown how to work hard, then more people might pursue college or a trade rather than falling to low life activities like theft, dealing drugs, prostitution, ect.

It's not broken, we're all Americans here. And if they are fit to serve, and don't want to then they can be given a plane ticket to the country of their choice with expedited papers relieving them of their citizenship.

Switzerland is an interesting case, because of the combination of their very free gun laws and yet, by American standards. they would also be called "socialist". (They are actually still a market-based capitalist society.)

They are really no more wealthy than us. But, they do have a much more redistributive system. So, they have no ghettos because they basically don't allow poverty. College is free if you get in. If you don't, you get into apprenticeship systems to learn a trade. This does wonders to motivate young people to do well in school. (In fact, a few cities in America have done a similar deal on college and drop-out rates declined dramatically. If a poor kid knows he can actually get into (and afford) college, their motivation goes way up).

All of this affects crime rates, obviously. So, I think its a combination of their social policy and their great gun laws that reduce crime.

 

[michaels]

So, I think its a combination of their social policy and their great gun laws that reduce crime.

Great gun laws?

Like registration?

The gun laws (this is an oversimplification folks)
boil down to:

If you're not police or military, you have no business owning firearms.

Just wanted to let you know.

There are so many misconceptions about switzerland.

you forgot FREE COLLEGE!!!

There's so much I forgot.....

Good and bad....

The part i liked the best?

The direct democracy the swiss have, vs. our indirect democracy.