Halloween causes fires and vandalism across Swiss cantons

Fires, damaged property and firecracker incidents kept police busy across several Swiss cantons on Halloween night, SRF reported. Authorities recorded no injuries in Geneva, while investigations continued in several areas.

In Aargau, police responded to more than 80 reports of nuisance, property damage and firecrackers. Officers carried out patrols and checks, and confiscated eggs and fireworks as a precaution. Many of the people carrying firecrackers were teenagers. Police said there was no major damage.

Geneva recorded 27 fires requiring firefighters and emergency services, mostly involving rubbish containers set alight. Firecrackers were also fired towards police and emergency vehicles. Several people were arrested, and police reported no injuries.

In St. Gallen, the emergency operations centre received about 30 reports, mainly concerning noise, firecrackers, large groups of young people and property damage. At a school in Goldach, a mailbox was blown up, a rubbish container was set on fire, and almost 40 walkway lights and four cameras were sprayed with paint. Police estimated the damage at tens of thousands of francs and opened an investigation.

In the canton of Zurich, police responded to more than 130 incidents. More than 50 reports involved firecrackers or fireworks, and officers intervened about 60 times over nuisance. They also recorded around a dozen cases of property damage, small fires and several physical altercations. Police were called to Halloween parties in several districts after they were disrupted by outsiders. In Küsnacht and Meilen, unknown people threatened teenagers with firecrackers, knuckle-dusters and pepper spray, and forced them to hand over a wallet, a watch and jackets.

In the canton of Fribourg, police intervened in several incidents involving groups of young people, including stone-throwing, firecrackers and eggs being thrown. Two buses were damaged by projectiles and had to be taken out of service. Rubbish containers were set on fire in two neighbourhoods of the cantonal capital. No arrests had been made, and investigations were ongoing.