World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
British investor leaves Switzerland after burglars steal safe from his home
Robert Gibbins is moving from Switzerland to London with his family after burglars broke into their home near Lake Geneva.
The founder of investment fund Autonomy Capital had lived in Switzerland for 15 years and said the raid damaged his sense of security.
The burglars broke through a wall to take a safe weighing over 200kg, which held valuables and family heirlooms.
Gibbins said neighbours told him that many homes nearby had been burgled in recent years, while police suggested stronger doors, protected windows or private security.
He said those measures would undermine the open society he valued and contributed to the family's decision to leave.
Swiss burglaries rose 1.2 per cent to 46,636 in 2025, but home burglaries in Vaud fell 8.4 per cent to 2,766; police said home invasions remained exceptional.
Gibbins warned that insecurity could drive business founders away, and said Switzerland must act.
Burglars broke into Robert Gibbins’s home in Founex and stole a safe weighing more than 200kg that contained valuables and family heirlooms.
Gibbins, founder of investment fund Autonomy Capital, sold the home and is returning to London with his family after 15 years in Switzerland.
He said the raid damaged his confidence in Switzerland’s reputation for safety.
The family withdrew their children from school and relocated their professional activities to London.
Swiss figures show burglaries and break-ins rose by 1.2 per cent in 2025, while home burglaries in Vaud fell by 8.4 per cent.
- Who
- Robert Gibbins, his family and the burglars.
- What
- Burglars took a safe containing valuables and family heirlooms from Gibbins’s home. He later sold the home and is returning to London with his family.
- When
- The raid took place in the early hours of January 1; the year is not stated.
- Where
- Gibbins’s home in Founex, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.
- Why
- Gibbins said the raid undermined his family’s sense of security and confidence in Switzerland.
Robert Gibbins
Cantonal police
Assessment of the risk
Robert Gibbins
Gibbins said the raid and reports of burglaries had undermined his confidence in the country’s safety.
Cantonal police
Police stressed that home invasions remained exceptional, although traumatic.
Response to the risk
Robert Gibbins
Gibbins said leaving the family home and moving to London was necessary, and criticised recommendations for reinforced doors, bulletproof windows or private security.
Cantonal police
Police recommended reinforced doors, bulletproof windows or private security.
Burglars broke into Gibbins’s home in Founex, removed a safe and escaped through the main gate.
Cantonal police recommended reinforced doors, bulletproof windows or private security, according to Gibbins.
Burglaries and break-ins across Switzerland rose by 1.2 per cent to 46,636 cases.
Gibbins’s family sold their villa, withdrew their children from school and relocated their professional activities to London.
- Safe
- More than 200kg
- Home
- Founex, canton of Vaud
- Family’s move
- Returning to London after 15 years in Switzerland
- Swiss burglaries and break-ins
- 46,636 cases in 2025, up 1.2 per cent
- Home burglaries in Vaud
- 2,766 in 2025, down 8.4 per cent
What people are saying
When I tell my friends in Hong Kong or New York what happened to us - a wall knocked down, a 200kg safe ripped out - they assure me they've never heard of anything like it.
That's when I realise how much we've normalised the unthinkable here.
This departure highlights the breakdown of a system
Switzerland is a wonderful place, but it absolutely must take action.