Local police units to be covered by legal framework

Local police units were introduced as part of a pilot project in the capital, Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange and eastern Luxembourg, forming a key theme in the last round of municipal elections. On Thursday afternoon, the Chamber of Deputies voted overwhelmingly in favour to include the units in legal framework, with just nine abstentions.

Rapporteur Laurent Mosar of the CSV called it an important step towards improving public security.

In a change from the original text, the local police units will continue to fall under general police jurisdiction rather than municipal management. The Council of State, municipal syndicate Syvicol and a number of other dissenting voices had raised concerns on this point in the beginning.

Lydie Polfer calls for more officers

Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer reported that the pilot project had proved a great success in the capital. The local police units' work had been met with approval, she said, but there is a need for additional police officers, a point she has raised repeatedly in the past. Polfer called for improved efforts in terms of personnel.

The LSAP, which initially expressed scepticism over the project, chose to support the bill on Thursday, as the municipal sector's concerns had been taken into account, MP Dan Biancalana explained. However, the LSAP added that the preventative aspect should be further expanded.

Opposition's criticism: Insufficient resources and unclear criteria

In principle, the ADR agreed with the bill, but the party's MPs abstained from the vote. Tom Weidig said it was because none of the MPs in government wanted to take responsibility for crime in the city, but instead pointed the finger at others.

The Greens' Meris Sehovic criticised the government for not giving the local police enough resources to actually carry out their work, and said there was insufficient criteria.

Pirate MP Marc Goergen argued that the targeted deployment of local police officers would alleviate problems, but that he approved of the changes in the bill.

The Left's Marc Baum said the issue was unimportant as crime figures are failing to decline in spite of the introduction of local police units.

Léon Gloden: "I will not accept pitting the urban areas against rural ones"

Several times, MPs asked why Grevenmacher and the surrounding Moselle valley had become the third municipality to receive a local police force, with suggestions that it could be linked to the fact that the Minister of the Interior, Léon Gloden, used to serve as mayor in the region.

Gloden refuted the accusations, saying the police force was to increase security in the whole region and that he did not accept municipal representatives from big cities pitting urban areas against rural areas. On Thursday, he declined to comment on whether additional local police officers would be deployed in future.

Former CSV interior minister Michel Wolter was the last to speak, and said the introduction of the local police force echoed the introduction of the former gendarmerie, which was abolished due to a "manifest mistake". He added that he hoped to have a local police unit in his own municipality one day.