Grand Ducal PoliceClear rules on carrying a knife in Luxembourg

Luc Thiel, director of the police armoury department, explained the rules and risks associated with knives to RTL.

“There are three categories. The first is for pocket knives, which are permitted to be carried. The second category covers knives with larger blades such as kitchen knives, which can be purchased by adults and kept at home. The third is for prohibited types of knives.”

Knives to be carried in public must meet strict requirements:

• The knife must be capable of being folded, such as a pocket knife.
• It must require both hands to be opened manually.
• The blade, measured from the cutting edge, cannot be longer than nine centimetres.
• It must be single-edged, double-edged knives are not permitted.
• The width of the blade must be at least 20% of the length.

“If someone is carrying a knife and is checked by police, pocket knives are permitted. Anything larger is not allowed, not even to keep it in the car. Larger blades are only permitted at home,” Thiel said. “Police are able to confiscate such knives if carried in public, to be guarded by the authorities. The carrier would be written up and the public prosecutor’s office can then decide what happens to the knife and the person carrying it. They can be returned, or confiscated and destroyed.”

Larger blades for private use

Knives with blades exceeding nine centimetres in length should not be used in public. But what about picnics or camping?

“Pocket knives should be sufficient for these purposes,” Thiel said.

Larger knives for crafts, cooking or artistic purposes are generally intended for private use. Whether they can be used in public depends on the context and occasion.