Geneva police in suspected 'swatting' case

Monday, 5 February 2024 06:30

Geneva police say they were the victim of a case of ‘swatting’ last week.

The term comes from the United States and refers to a caller reporting a fake violent act, normally involving weapons, which triggers a large-scale police response, which may endanger an innocent victim.

Last Wednesday evening the police were called to the Malagnou district, which turned out to be a false alarm.

More details are not being released, but a spokeswoman says they believe it was a case of swatting and points out it’s illegal to make false calls to the emergency services which could lead to a three-year prison sentence.

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