Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden has rejected suggestions that prejudice within the Grand Ducal Police discourages LGBTIQ+ victims from reporting assaults, insisting that officers receive extensive anti-discrimination and victim-support training.

Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden has defended the training and practices of the Grand Ducal Police following concerns raised by MP Marc Baum of The Left (Déi Lénk) over the low number of LGBTIQ+ residents who report hate-motivated assaults to the authorities. In a parliamentary question dated 6 August, Baum cited data from 2023 showing that only 5% of LGBTIQ+ people in Luxembourg reported a recent physical or sexual assault to the police, compared with an EU average of 11%.

As a 2019 study had shown a similar gap, Baum suggested that fear of "negative prejudices" from officers could explain why so few victims come forward.

Gloden rejected the suggestion, warning that there is "no factual element" establishing a causal link between victims' reluctance to file complaints and possible prejudice within the police. He described such an assumption as "tendentious and to be considered with the greatest caution".

According to the minister, anti-discrimination training is integrated into police education as a cross-cutting theme. Modules include criminal law provisions on discrimination and hate speech, practical exercises on conflict management and searches, and courses on human rights, policing ethics, and domestic violence. Trainees also spend a year in police units under the supervision of tutors, Gloden added.

The minister's response further underlined that police recruits receive victimology training, covering stalking, trauma, and how to direct victims to appropriate support services. The aim is to understand the "impact of an assault on a person and to know how to accompany a victim", Gloden said.

The minister highlighted recent initiatives to improve community trust, pointing to public outreach efforts such as the 'Op e Kaffi mat der Police' meetings – allowing citizens to share a friendly cup of coffee with officers – as well as expanded recruitment. According to Gloden, police staffing has risen from 3,111 to 3,400 officers and trainees between January 2024 and July 2025, with annual recruitment raised to 200.

Asked explicitly about the government's new National Action Plan on LGBTIQ+ rights, which includes measures to train police on hate crimes and launch a web-based course, Gloden confirmed that progress is underway. "A first webinar on the fight against all forms of discrimination was put online on 14 May 2025", he said, adding that another module on domestic violence is due before the end of the year.

The minister also pointed to the involvement of the European LGBT Police Association (EGPA), which since 2022 has provided awareness sessions at the police academy, including training on how to handle complaints involving transgender victims and conduct searches respectfully.

Gloden finally stressed that there is close collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Diversity, the Ministry of Justice, and LGBTIQ+ organisations to identify additional ways to counter hate speech online and offline.