The Luxembourg City Council has approved funding for four additional recruits for the 'By Your Side' service and plans to expand video surveillance in Bonnevoie, aiming to strengthen social support and security measures in key areas of the capital.

The Luxembourg City Council has agreed to provide additional support to the Inter-Actions association by financing four additional recruits for its 'By Your Side' ('A Vos Côtés') service. Launched in December 2020, the service was initially reserved for the Gare district alone, but has since been extended to Bonnevoie and to the upper city areas.

As a result of the agreement, unanimously adopted by the Luxembourg City Council on Monday, the By Your Side service will employ four new recruits, raising their numbers to 26, in an effort to increase their presence in the field and at earlier times in the day.

Among the services provided, By Your Side employees focus on approaching and relocating people who block entrances to local businesses. The Council acknowledged the need to extend the offer of social services in the early morning hours, with the 'Para-Chute' reception centre in the Gare district  to open one hour earlier.

However, city officials also admitted that there are spatial limitations to the current building, which is why a search for alternative locations has also been launched.

Additionally, the City Council agreed on the provision of a social service for homeless people who may suffer from mental illness. The establishment will be located in Hamm.

Consisting of eight beds, the premises and the socio-educational staff of this centre will be financed by the City of Luxembourg, while the medical staff will be funded by the Ministry of Health. By providing eight homeless people with temporary housing and care, the project aims to give them a chance to start anew.

It is estimated that around 60 homeless people located in the City of Luxembourg may suffer from mental illness.

Surveillance cameras in Bonnevoie

The City Council has furthermore agreed on the expansion of video surveillance in specific locations of the City. A corresponding opinion was passed by the City Council on Monday afternoon, though facing opposition from some parties.

François Benoy of The Greens (Déi Gréng), for instance, underscored the tense relationship between security, privacy, and fundamental rights. He further stressed that video surveillance would not accomplish the aims of the City Council, but rather a false sense of security while displacing the problems elsewhere.

This is a view shared by Gabriel Boisante of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), who emphasised that data from foreign organisations confirms that video surveillance has little effect on the improvement of security.

67 cameras are planned to be installed in the upper area of Bonnevoie, with an expansion of video surveillance in the eastern part of the district having been agreed on as well. This extension of video surveillance in Bonnevoie is the first to be financed by the City of Luxembourg – with a total cost of €2.3 million.