What a horrible experience!

You can still involve the police. If this happended in an ATM area there's a good chance there a ton of security cameras around, and the police / bank will be able to see the guy and know who he is from his card transcations.

The question is if the Police will decide to put this on the priority list and act on it, or if they'll just take your report and that's it. More often than not, it's the 2nd option.

On the topic of not many people getting involved to help: don't be surprised that more adults didn't help. The real surprise is actually that 3 adults and 15 teens did get involved! When I occasionally read stories of folks who were attacked, it's often the case that people around the incident don't get involved, especially if there's strong violence involved. I think most people would love to stop the attack, but they're scared to get hurt or to get involved in something nasty. As a rule of thumb: don't count on others to come help. Sad but true...

Hope you recover fast,

Nir

I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through this. It sounds quite harrowing. Pepper spray sounds like a very good idea to me. I don't know what I would have done. Why did they not want to call the police?

I`m not saying it`s your fault or you deserve it in any way, but as to how you describe him, I probably would have waited outside. You talk back to a guy who obviously is on a different level of social intelligence and besides as a physical advantage over you. In the worst case scenario he would have beaten up your friend and made you take out all your and her money.

Prevention is better than cure...

Wish you the best!

Dear babylicious,

Awfully sorry to hear your story, is simply horrible. Wish you and your friend get over it soon.  The same question as Amna's crossed my mind though when I read your post.  Why not call the police?  That is what I would have done had I been in that situation. By not reporting it to them is as if the attack never happened.  Anyway, that is just the way I see it.

Best wishes to you and your friend.

I have never seen something like this and I have been living here for a while.

If it happened close to the ATM there is a good chance it was recorded by the banks camera.

Yes, you could have called the police but since the guy left after the incident they wouldn't be of any use.

I still think you should file a formal complaint. They don't need to try very hard to get the guy's name from the bank if you give the time, date and location where he was at the ATM. Better do it fast, today if you can. While you are doing this you can ask them about the best way to react to this kind of situation.

My French is quite decent, PM me if you need any help talking to the police or going through the procedure.

Thanks for your kind words and advice everyone. To answer a few of you:

We didn't call the police because we didn't know if it would be more hassle than it’s worth. I don't want that to sound awful but I hope you understand what I mean? Would it be a priority? Would it be lots of paperwork and no action?

Long story short (I've been robbed here at the Gare, went directly to the police station, shown a list/photos of more than 50 well-known criminals, told to pick one, couldn't choose and nothing happened as a result. Police know who these people are but...I don't know.) - So my faith in the police isn't the best. But in yesterday's instance, they are here to protect us right?

Also the guy had walked away and we could hardly apprehend him. The youths had dispersed and the adults left us and told us to just forget about it. In that situation when it seems like no one cares, it’s hard to think straight/rational. The one guy who physically stopped him coming after us did check on us after to see if we were ok.

Really, guys, it happened so fast and was a blur.

@Thomas NL- Its easier to say it retrospect and I had the same thought but I/we did not consider him a a threat until he started hitting us.

Speaking to other friends today and hearing your views, it’s clear that the general opinion is that perhaps should have called the police.

Will keep you posted on that.

Babylicious: This is unacceptable, hope the two of you get over this experience! I think you should have reported the man to the police & still must register a complaint, with the exact time of the incident & the sequence of events.

There could be many reasons to the man's anger but NONE of them could justify the act of aggression on you ladies!

At this point I was stunned that a guy would even consider hitting a woman??

You're not in the US/UK white-knight-defends-the-damsel-in-distress culture any more.  Not only does this kind of thing happen here on occasion, onlookers tend to scatter, not rush to your aid.  The last two incidents of inter-gender violence I witnessed were at music festivals and everyone gave them plenty of room; not a single person interfered.

Sorry to say but I have absolutely no sympathy for you two : I just simply hate girls who show more balls than I probably would have...

Baby

What a horrid experience.

Regarding the Police... there woudl be cameras in the inhouse automat place, so it wouldnt be hard to proove what happened, although I doubt audio would be there, so it may be that he would say you incited him... which even though not true, would be his defence if it went to court.

The issue you need to think about is "do you want to take him to court" because thats where it would go if the police were to be involved...it involves alot of forms etc... if not put it down to experience and just take care not to get into conversation with strangers who seem overtly agressive...

I was attacked outside cornavin late one night... the taxis scattered, big fight ensued.. onlookers stood mouths agape...police came...taxis came back and did actually say it wasnt my fault... police asked if i wanted to press charges, ie come down to the station and spend 2 hrs filling in forms... since the guys who attacked me actually got a proper kicking I let it slide, since apart from breaking a sweat and loosing a shirt button I wasnt harmed... lesson learnt.. im now more careful, and the other guys wont be attacking any drunk irishmen any time soon...

good luck with it all... keep smiling, and try to relax when youre out next... the shakes do wear off eventually.

Well...relatively new to Geneva so maybe to early to speak....but Pople get Real...Geneva is not unsafe(Paquis at night excluded I guess). Or maybe it was safer before, sure, but unsafe....For example I have been attacked twice myself in plainpalais by idiots who asked for money....unarmed!.A bit of shouting in one case, and a slight headbutt in the second and they where nowwhere to be seen. if they try to rob people unarmed it means that is way too easy.....A bit of common sense that you would use in ANY european city above 10K inhabitants will get you fine.

Actually the onmly thing that I find annnoying n Geneva is the presence of drug dealers and cheap hooers in certain areas....but if you ignore them they usually don't bother.....Just not a nice sight, that is.

not even you? ;(

Anyone remember the Guardian Angels in NYC? Maybe we could form a posse...

So sorry to hear that this happened but I am glad you were not severely injured. I would still report it to the police. You have a lot of information in fact because you have the exact time and place of the assault and because the guy used the ATM. This means the bank knows who he is. 

I would also write a letter to the office of the Geneva prosecutor outlining all the facts. This guy can be found and prosecuted. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

So I just got back from the police station.

I gave a description of the man and showed them a photo taken on my phone whilst he was being restrained by passers-by. It was pretty poor quality - I guess I need an iPhone.

I was informed that it would have been better to have called last night because they could have circled the street looking for him.

In short, an official complaint was not filed as it would have taken 2 hours with little evidence to go on and they didn’t think the bank cameras would have captured this clearly/well enough and best case scenario would be they find the guy, maybe arrest him for assault, or send him for psychiatric evaluation.  Chances of the best case scenario were pretty slim. The officer said he would inform the station about this but he also said that this kind of thing happened all the time in Geneva. He also advised that it would be a good idea to get pepper spray and know how to use it properly and be prepared to use it.

So, was yesterday a good time to call the police? Probably but after our discussion with the police, I think self-defence classes are a must and I will just be more aware.

Thanks all.

Self defence classes???People be real.....The best self defence is common sense. and in case....run! If you're not used to have fights(and most honest people aren't) no amount of selfe defence can help. The only clever thing is: AVOID trouble, avoid answer, look other way, in case run.

My personal opinion:

1. Yes, you should have contacted the police immediately.

2. You should file a full report, 2 hours be damned. I don't think it will take a full two hours and for them to say "little evidence" is nonsense. Time, place, and bank transaction. Usually the police would be thrilled to have so much information to start a file. Furthermore, for them to say the cameras wouldn't have captured anything clearly enough.....have you *seen* some of the camera shots that have successfully been used to find criminals? There is *no* reason *not* to at least look at the camera. You'll be just as likely to have a shot that's *perfect* with white shiny teeth and gleam in his eye.

3. Contact the bank, too. It happened in *their* building, at *their* ATMs. But, they may not do anything until you have a police report.

4. I get the real impression that you don't want to do anything about it, and that's sad. Because that means he got away with this behavior, despite all the evidence to find and punish him. Either this upsets you and you do something about it or ...... or, what? It doesn't upset you *enough* so......

If some drunk bumps into you at night and you get in brief shouting/pushing match and then you both go your own way, ok, fine, let it be. If you are in a "protected" area of a bank ATM, some guy agresses you like that including slapping a woman, to the point that it upsets you enough to post something here, then you should do something about it. As I said before, you *have* a lot of evidence. Don't let the police convince you it's not worthwhile. Maybe it's not worth *their* while, but it should be yours.

Yes, most self-defence instructors will advise you to not put yourself in position where it's dangerous but this was a covered bank ATM vestibule in the middle of a city centre. 

Also what are you on about? "If you're not used to fighting no self defence will help you?" Surely the point of having self defence classes is to help you gain the reflexes to defend yourself.

Let's hope if you're wife / girlfriend get in the same situation you won't take such a smug, condescending line as you've been with her.

would it not be better to file a complaint and hope that some action was taken and maybe save somebody else form this situation rather than think about possibly wasting twô hours of your time ?

You are fool, if you got nothing smart to say, keep it down low. Because guys like you are the once i have had to protect time to time in my life from not getting beaten up. yes a girl short as I am 1.57 have never had problems to stud up against anyone. If there is weak one in need for help i wont hesitate. But if someone needs a confidence then why not self defence! They should, so dont come here to talk silly. Not always you cant run away, not always you can look the other way. Not always you can avoid trouble!!!

Well, wasn't meaningto be smug. Where I come from the situation is far less calm than here and still most people don't get in trouble by applyng a bit of common sense.If someone behave rude even if HE is wrong, do you need to argue? ne. Like in ths situation, getting out and wait for the idiot to leave whould have gone a long way in avoiding any confrontation.I am not saying is nice, but that's the way it is. And saw many people getting in trouble beciuse "hey I have self defence training", and then getting kicked like there's no tomorrow. So that's just a simple piece of advice...Besides this, I hope actually that your loved ones will never get in dangerous situation...Your comment is rude and quite tasteless.

Regards

Gennaro

Hey. I would like to say that this story is terrible.

Well I am swiss so I might give you little hint.

First, I would have called the police ... Don't know if it would have been very useful but I think it is better to do it that not to do it.

Second. Pepper spray are forbidden here, You should go to France to find one. But I guess the police will never tell you anything if you use it to defence yourself.

Third: In Switzerland, when there is someone crazy, we say nothing, and we try to run faster. We don't try to face the person... I think it would be a better strategy than trying to civilize a crazy guy.

But please don't be pessimistic. Grown swiss adults can also help. Last week, I tried to helped a girl that was bitten by her boyfriend. Ok I was with my boyfriend! Some of us is really trying to help... So please be safe if there are people around :-) You will always find help

Forget about the taxi drivers. :-) They don't act like gentlemen.

Stay positive. :-) And speaking about selfdefense, I will try this: http://www.haganah-atsmit.com/

Again, Geneva is not really Switzerland. It is a messy city, Don't get a negative image of our country...  :-) From a Swiss Girl that welcomes you here and hope you the best for the future...

I was attacked in NYC when I lived there, I was in the subway and some body jumped me and started punching me, he claimed I look at him!!! (I didn't even notice him until he jumped me, and either way looking briefly at someone doesn't call for that someone to jump you and attack you)

Going inside a cash dispensing machine when the bank is closed and someone is inside taking care of their business is not the smartest thing either.... it's better to wait outside and go in when they leave..... why? because you never know what they're up to, they might be in there just getting money or they might be waiting for someone to go in so they can pull a weapon on them and force them to take all their money out.

About wrong impressions of Geneva.... please.... these type of things happen everywhere..... No need for any one to apologize..... is not like these things never happen in the UK or the US....  

@andy woah, woah, woah..... there were *multiple* ATMs on site, one happened to be broken. Banks provide such locations so that you're *not* outside, even more unprotected while focusing on a screen and withdrawing cash. One can find dangerous elements in any situation, but you have to look at the likelihood of such occurences....You have to use a card to get in the protected areas in front of ATMS, therefore anyone lurking in there has ID'd themselves. (Yes, they could be using a stolen card.) And there are cameras inside such places. And they are well lit. And and and....

Your statement reeks of blaming the victim. Which many people seem inclined to do.

We can't go through this life assuming everyone is going to attack us. It's not Mad Max, Beyond Mont-Sur-Rolle, after all.

I am not blaming the victim, it's terrible that this happened to her... it could happen to any of us at any moment.

I am just making a general statement about how we all need to be more street smart.... going inside a bank machine when the bank is closed and someone is inside, is not good for the most, because I've seen it happening before, you go in and the person inside pulls a gun or a knife on you and forces you to clean your entire bank account and then leave when they have all your money....

In the ideal world you should be able to go in and wait for your turn to retire money, but unfortunately we don't live in the ideal world....

About people apologizing in behalf of Geneva, I stated that I dont see the need to apologize in behalf of Geneva, these type of things happen daily worldwide, is not a Geneva thing, it's a world in which we live thing.....  we all have to be street smart and recognize potential danger, that's all.

The situation is deteriorating and Geneva is feeling the fact that is being listed as an unsafe place. They expect to lose between 10 and 15 thousand Chinese tourists as a result of complaints of theft to tourists. The Japanese and Brasilian missions have also complained. 

http://www.tdg.ch/geneve/actu-genevoise/insecurite-geneve-nous-attendons-perdre-touristes/story/14375148

It has always been a mystery to me why there is no police in places of high concentration of people. At the train station I have seen drug deals being made, coke lines being snorted in plain sight, and ladies being harrased for cigarettes and money... And the police station a 100 meters away...

Gotta love Glocals, so many devils advocates & wind up merchants...

A poor girl, not alone, going into a secure area to withdraw cash is not unreasonable and unstreetwise, it's a totally normal behaviour.

of course you gotta be streetwise, but seeing a solo man using a cash point, when you are with a friend, it's completely reasonable to go and q behind him.

the police telling you not to write a report is however not reasonable, i'm pretty sure they do anything they can to avoid statistics / actual work in the Genevan Police Dept. 

Anyhow hope you have better luck but be careful out here, it's far from safe as you'll rapidly learn what with fete des geneve around the corner and if you can find any statistics (which is doubtful)

I know many people who have had heavy crime in Geneva, robbery, violence, burglary, where there's money comes crime, simple as that, and with a police force which tend to be extremely uninterested and pass the buck.

Unfortunately you gotta watch your own back.

At least you didn't get seriously hurt, and will no doubt be keeping your wits about you going ahead. 

I don't think the police do enough out here though, let's be honest, 1 London copper is more intimidating then 2 of these pistol armed swiss ones.... i think they are more scared of the streets then the pedestrians.

This is not a purposeful attack on Geneva either, i love it here, even with it's problems... everywhere has problems...

However it is misleading to believe this city is on par of safety as the rest of europe, there are many professional criminals working in Geneva, and i don't personally feel the police pull their weight on the matter.
 

Interesting comments. But in fact I would like to say big THANKS to everyone who has posted not only kind, considerate messages but practical and constructive posts both personally and on this thread.   

GLOCALS is indeed unique. Thank you Nir and Oded.

Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinions which is what I had wanted to hear, even if a few seem to miss the mark.

Personally I was not expecting a white knight to rush to our aid - and don't have the energy to respond properly to that type of comment at the moment.

Let’s be clear. Self-defence lessons are not so that I can just fight back with anyone – a few benefits have already been stated by people here and actually a quick Google search may have prevented such a snide comment being posted.

People, people - I’m from London so to be told that I’m not streetwise or whatever is more than a little offensive. But it’s ok.  

And Jcatjost – no worries, I heart Geneva. 

What happened to us was unfortunate; a lesson learned and every now and then a part of life. We're just aiming to move on from this in the best way we can. Tequila helps. Sometimes .

Thanks again all.

Shame you decided not to file a complaint. Maybe it would have taken 2 hours, yes. But it would have given a small chance of the guy getting caught. If not that, at the very least your incident would have gone into the official stats, to help show the powers that be that the city is becoming more and more unsafe.

I totally get Gennaro's point about self-defense. Self defense might help a lady fight off an agressive drunk guy (if you're very lucky and very experienced, and the guy is very drunk), but it might also give the lady a false sense of safety. Best approach: swallow your pride and get out of there.

Sorry girls about what happened to you. I'm a Geneva native girl and feel ashamed for my city.

Just some advice : whatever happens to you here, always call the police. Even if they are somehow lazy, insist to have a report. More we'll have claims sooner our politicians will understand what's happening today in Geneva. A bit like in N.Y.

Taxi drivers in Geneva are for 95 % of them coming out of countries where women's life has no importance (yes somebody has to say it) and as it is known that they would never get out of their cars to help a lady with a luggage or anything else, they would never get out of their cars to help ladies in trouble. Just be happy if they do hit you with their car. A bit like in London.

When I was travelling abroad, I was always trying to be very aware of who is around me and of what's happening around me on the street, during daytime as well as night. Since 10 years, I started to do the same here also.

Wish you a very nice stay in Geneva and hope that only pleasant things happen to you in the future !

(I apologize a thousand times for my poor English)

I saw the same article.  Almost every day there is one in TDG about crime in Geneva.  Well, at least it is not a taboo anymore and since there is money involved (tourism) the municipalities are hopefully going to do something about it.

Some week ago there was an article saying that pickpocketing in public transports, and bike theft, doubled in Geneva between 2010 and 2012.  In Fribourg, break-ins and thefts in cars quintuplied in the same lapse of time, courtesy of a gang of North-African criminals.  The level of laxism of Swiss authorities is insane.

Totally agree. I have twice had my handbag stolen in Geneva since I moved here. Yet as a Londoner, never had anything stolen whilst living there. I find this rather ironic as Geneva in the past always touted itself as being a very safe place. The Geneva police are paid very well yet don't seem to be very well trained when it comes to dealing with crime. 

I am surprised that nobody mentions the main reason why people choose not to intervene, so I will do it. Chances are people did not see it from the beginning or did not see it clearly. So they look but don't undersand what is going on. Maybe the 3 people are together, maybe it's a domestic fight, they are possibly drunk or on drugs. You don't know what is going on and you choose to stay away. This is not being coward, it's not looking for trouble.

You showed you have a brave heart, but looking back, was it worth it? For me the best conflicts are those you avoid...

Dear babylicious, I'm very sorry for what happened to you and your friend. Being a Swiss and living in Geneva for a while, it is true that Geneva is not as safe as it used to be. However, I have never faced such aggression, maybe it is also because I avoid certain places at night time, like around station area. I also would not take out cash in any ATM at night time, just as a precaution. I would not walk alone in a parking lot late at night. All these precautions are common anywhere in the world, and Geneva is no exception. Avoid risky situations as much as possible and of course self-defence classes may make you feel safer, so you should do them. But the best advice I could give you is to avoid interacting with a crazy person and avoid ATMs at night. And yes, you or someone else should have called the police at that time, and you can get information about this person from the bank as their cameras most probably have filmed this terrible scene. Hope you get over this bad experience soon. Take care and be safe