A month ago, the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk triggered violent riots in France. He had been shot by police officers during a traffic check.
Whilst there are no such riots in Luxembourg, there are several cases of presumed police violence. A recent example is the arrest of four police officers suspected of, among other things, police violence and voluntary assault. However, this is not an exceptional occurrence.
Let's take two other, more recent examples in which there is no legal verdict: Two years ago, on the eve of National Day, a man was seriously injured in the face during an altercation with the police. Although a complaint was filed with the IGP, the affair is still not closed.
Another example is the fatal shooting in Bonnevoie in April 2018. A police officer shot a motorist in the head at the time and was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter. However, the verdict is not to be finalised until the beginning of October 2023.
In the eyes of the police union, the SNPGL, there is no increased police violence, but it seems to be more present. General Secretary Marlène Negrini sees it as "more a feeling because you see more these days. Today, everyone has a mobile phone and can photograph or film any event and thus pass this on to numerous people via Facebook or other media."
When asked about the new law that was just passed to equip police officers with body cameras, Negrini expressed her discontent. The law does not represent the interest of the police, nor of the judiciary, and certainly not of the citizen, she added.
For the union, it is a problem that a police officer can use this camera in public spaces but not in private. Negrini understands that the law is intended for increased protection, however, the camera cannot be used when police officers are called to a family dispute, for example.
Incidentally, the figures from the Inspectorate show that the IGP has dealt with 123 cases for police violence since 2018. Of these, 91 have been classified by the justice department without legal consequences.
Report in Luxembourgish:
