This guide is part of our series on home invasion in Switzerland: protecting your home and family.
If an intrusion is in progress or you are being threatened, call the police on 117 as soon as you can do so without exposing yourself to danger. 112 is also an emergency number. For a medical emergency, call 144.
A noise, an alert or an unexpectedly open door does not always reveal what is happening. Your first task is to protect yourself, not to check every room. Bern police guidance is clear: call for help and avoid disturbing the scene. Source: Bern cantonal police.
Do not approach the intruder
Do not go downstairs to get a better image, pursue anyone or try to detain an offender. In a home invasion, Vaud police strongly discourage confrontation and recommend not resisting attackers’ demands. Protecting people comes before protecting property. Source: Votre Police guidance on home invasion.
If you can move away or leave by a safe route without passing near the intruder, do so. Otherwise, take shelter where possible and call the police. The appropriate action depends on where people are, the exits available and emergency services’ instructions. No article can determine remotely which route is safe in your home.
If a family member is in another room, tell the police immediately. Do not feel obliged to cross a dangerous area to gather everyone together. Family preparation should precisely avoid a rigid rule causing additional risk.
What information should you give when calling 117?
Start with the address and the nature of the emergency. Then answer the operator’s questions and follow their instructions. Say what you know; clearly identify anything you are assuming.
| Useful information | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Location | “I am at [address and municipality], in [building or floor].” |
| Observed facts | “I saw someone in the hallway” or “I can hear a door being forced.” |
| Occupants | “There are [number] of us; one person is in [known room].” |
| Danger or injury | Describe only what you have observed, without going to check. |
This outline is a preparation aid. You do not need all the answers before calling. Do not wait until you know the exact number of intruders or have usable footage.
If an alarm or camera alerts you
A technical notification and a directly observed threat are different situations. A monitoring centre may follow a verification procedure before requesting a response. This does not mean you should physically investigate an intrusion or delay an emergency call when you are threatened.
If you can pass on information already available without exposing yourself, tell the operator. Do not waste time searching for footage, adjusting a camera or launching a mobile device during an emergency. The system should support your response, not keep you in front of a screen.
To prepare these arrangements in advance, see our guide to using an alarm while people are at home. Assistance functions and their recipients need to be understood before an incident occurs.
Prepare a family plan without encouraging fear
A brief discussion suited to children’s ages is more useful than a dramatic simulation. The aim is for everyone to know how to ask for help and avoid moving towards danger. Children should not be tasked with monitoring the home.
The Belgian federal police recommend thinking about somewhere to shelter and call for help. This preparation principle can inform a discussion with a local professional; use the emergency numbers for the country you are in. Source: Belgian federal police prevention advice.
For your home, prepare these points together:
- An accessible way to call emergency services, suited to the occupants’ abilities.
- The full address, with the details actually needed to reach you.
- A simple way to explain where people are.
- A trusted contact for afterwards, without assigning them a response role.
- Specific arrangements for someone who has hearing or mobility difficulties, or cannot use a phone independently.
Do not test emergency numbers as practice. If you want to check an assistance button or transmission to a monitoring centre, arrange a test with the provider beforehand. A command whose consequences nobody understands should not be discovered during a crisis.
When the offenders have left
Someone apparently leaving does not prove the premises are safe. Wait for police instructions before moving around the house. Unless necessary to help someone or protect yourself, avoid tidying, cleaning or handling affected access points and objects.
Geneva police explain that, following a burglary, calling 117 allows them to organise assistance, evidence gathering and the next steps. An inventory of belongings and useful documents can be prepared afterwards. Source: Canton of Geneva.
Keep available footage for investigators without publishing it on social media. You do not need to conduct your own investigation or try to find someone from a screenshot.
Do not face the aftermath alone
After a violent intrusion, support goes beyond replacing a lock. In Switzerland, victim support centres offer confidential assistance; filing a complaint is not a prerequisite for seeking advice. Relatives may also be affected. Source: Victim Support Switzerland.
142 directs callers to this support; it does not replace 117 or 144 in an emergency. Our guide to the aftermath of a home invasion brings together the steps to take once you are safe.
To prepare your home’s protection before an incident, return to the complete guide to home invasion protection in Switzerland.
Outside any emergency, our approach to protecting an occupied home helps plan access protection, night-time scenarios and alert handling. This is a prevention assessment, not an emergency response service.