Secure transportation & security drivers in Zurich, Geneva & Davos, Switzerland

Zurich Geneva Davos Switzerland

Secure travel for VIPs across Switzerland

We’re often asked to work with security teams to provide secure transportation for ultra-high net worth business travellers in Switzerland, especially in areas such as Zurich, Geneva and Davos.

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, home to many financial institutions and banking companies.

Geneva is the second-largest city in the country, and hosts the highest number of international organisations in the world.

Davos is perhaps best known for hosting the World Economic Forum. We’re regularly there, transporting VIPs about.

Zurich Geneva Davos Switzerland

Security drivers in Zurich, Geneva & Davos

Switzerland has one of the highest motorway densities in the world. To use the autobahn/autoroute, we need to purchase an annual vignette (toll sticker). We make sure to learn about local laws and requirements like this, and it’s just one example of the things we do to save you the trouble and help ease the journey.

As for communicating, the official language in Zurich and Davos is German, while in Geneva, it’s French, and Italian is the native language in the south of the country. Wherever you need to go, we’ll always use local security drivers who speak English, and will provide translators where necessary.

WEF: Our take

Davos has a one-way system, with the main road accessed via one of three hills (the bottom road is two-way). This means there can be traffic jams on the loop and people need to allow more time for their journey.

“It’s like one long car park,” says Neil.

When the WEF is on, there are more police around than you’ve ever seen, protecting presidents, prime ministers, royalty, celebrities, and all their security teams – us included.

Zurich Geneva Davos Switzerland

Security vehicles in Zurich, Geneva & Davos

When you need security vehicles in Switzerland, you want to be confident that the firm you choose understands the terrain. To reassure you, this page covers some of the considerations we take into account.

Switzerland is known worldwide for banking sector and specialised industries such as watchmaking. Notable cuisine includes fondue, raclette and rosti – and of course, chocolate.

It’s among the world’s most developed countries, with the most nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

Zurich, Geneva and Basel rank among the best cities for quality of life, even though they are also ranked among the top for cost of living.

In line with Swiss law, we can provide armoured vehicles and armed drivers if the risk assessment merits it.

Zurich Geneva Davos Switzerland

Overview of Zurich, Geneva & Davos

When you think ‘Switzerland’, you may think of cuckoo clocks. But there’s a lot more to the country than that.

Zurich

Zurich is divided into twelve districts (known as Kreis in German), each of which contains between one and four neighbourhoods.

Zurich Airport is served by more than 60 passenger airlines from around the world. Road journeys can be disrupted by street parades, the annual marathon and the famous Zurich ‘one-day Olympics’.

Compared to other cities, there are few tall buildings in Zurich. Inhabitants use public transport in large numbers, with about 70% using the tram or bus. Visitors are attracted by the many museums, galleries, orchestras and theatres.

Geneva

Geneva has been called “the world’s most compact metropolis” and the “Peace Capital”. The city is divided into eight quartiers, or districts, and is reached from a well-connected airport.

It’s located at the south-western end of Lake Geneva, surrounded by three mountain chains and is only 1.9 km (1.2 mi) from the border of France. In fact, the the metropolitan area largely extends across the border. This means 58.3% of the population lives on Swiss territory, and the rest on French territory.

People come for the annual festivals, opera house (which has the largest stage in Switzerland), and trade fairs.

Davos

The main village is at the top of the narrow valley of the Landwasser at 1,560 metres (5,120 ft) above sea level. The municipality is divided into six Fraktionsgemeinden, and it takes about two hours to drive there from Zurich International Airport.

Davos has a long history of winter sports, and is home to one of Switzerland’s biggest ski resorts. It’s renowned for its cross-country skiing, ice hockey, heritage sites, and research institutes.

Security risks in Zurich, Geneva & Davos

One of Switzerland’s “great weaknesses” is that the federal agency has no national overview to combat organised crime because of the federal structure of the country.

According to the director of FedPol in 2023, Switzerland is attractive to criminal networks as a hiding place for drugs, arms, human trafficking, burglaries and ATM robberies.

Money laundering is punishable by the criminal authorities. A company can be held liable for inadequate organisation or failing to take all reasonable measures to prevent a crime from happening.

Financial intermediaries such as investment banks or insurance companies are required to comply with due diligence and disclosure requirements.

Public discrimination or “invoking to rancour” against persons or a group of people because of their race or ethnicity is penalised by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine.

Violent crime

We’d describe Switzerland as a relatively safe country. In 2019, there were 161 attempted and 46 completed homicides. That makes a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 population, which is one of the lowest rates in the world.

Non-violent crime

According to official statistics, Swiss police recorded 35,732 burglaries in 2022 – a 14.6% rise compared to 2021.

Car theft is an issue, with 19 cars being stolen in Switzerland every day (2021).

Terrorism

Switzerland has experienced incidences of both domestic (low‐level violence) and international terrorism over past decades.

The alert level has been raised since 2013, when the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) warned of a heightened threat of Islamic terrorism in the country.

Riots

Riots are rare across Switzerland, but in 2003, the World Economic Forum triggered anti-globalisation protests.

Access to Davos was blocked by the police, so some of the protesters travelled to Bern, where the demonstrations degenerated into full-scale riots. 30 people were arrested and three policemen injured.

Meanwhile, those who were allowed to enter Davos demonstrated peacefully, securely cordoned off from the WEF participants.

Events

Events in Zurich include regular festivals, carnivals, and marathons.

In Geneva, there’s a range of wine tours, city and river tours.

In Davos, people particularly enjoy the opportunity for skiing and paragliding.

As well as hosting the WEF, it’s often the destination for the Winter Olympics.

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