Marlène Negrini, representative of Luxembourg’s national police union SNPGL, has voiced concerns that unprosecuted offences are wasting police resources. Her comments come in response to recent statements by Prosecutor General Martine Solovieff, who acknowledged that staff shortages in the judiciary have forced prosecutors to prioritise serious crimes over minor offences.
Solovieff’s remarks, made during the judiciary’s New Year’s reception, followed criticism from Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer about the handling of criminal cases. However, the SNPGL has expressed frustration with the prosecutor general’s public acknowledgment of the issue.
“While the staff shortage is well-known, such public statements have a different impact,” said SNPGL President Marlène Negrini. “It feels like a slap in the face. Police work is not being appreciated and you’re making fun of people who spend hours in front of their computers doing other police work, which is also important,” she criticised.
Negrini argued that every offence should be acted upon, as failing to prosecute crimes wastes police resources. She emphasised that the SNPGL does not support classifying some infractions as more or less important than others.
“We in the police don’t know what happens to cases once they are passed to the judiciary,” Negrini pointed out, adding that if a follow-up investigation is needed, it also goes directly to the criminal police. “But without a basic protocol prepared by uniformed officers, there can be no investigation at all,” she emphasised.
For the same reason, she also questioned the judiciary’s claim of insufficient investigators. “If half the work isn’t being done, then staff shortages aren’t really a problem,” she said.
In response to Solovieff’s remarks about staffing shortages in both the judiciary and criminal police, the SNPGL President emphasised the need for broader recruitment efforts within the police force.
“Every police officer is also an investigator,” Negrini explained. “This is also why any police officer can transition to criminal investigations. Recruitment should therefore focus on the police force as a whole,” she said.
Negrini also expressed concern that Solovieff’s public statements could send the wrong message to society, particularly to potential offenders.
The police union is set to meet with Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden on 20 January. Negrini confirmed that the union intends to address the issue of judicial follow-up on criminal cases.
