"The police are in demand": in a sense, that was the theme of Monday’s Michaelmas celebration honouring the police force’s patron saint Michael, with a ceremony at the National Monument of Luxembourg Solidarity, a mass at St Michael’s Church near the Fëschmaart, and a reception at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg City.
In their speeches, Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden and Director General of Police Pascal Peters shed light on a number of measures that have improved police operations and public safety, while also setting out new initiatives.
Current developments and survey results underline the need to take security seriously.
The Director General of Police pointed to the unrest in France and Belgium, standing in solidarity with colleagues across the border.
Gloden, for his part, cited the recent Sunday Poll RTL-Wort survey results in which 87% of respondents called for stricter action against those causing public disorder.
The government has been pursuing this goal since the end of 2023. Gloden and Peters mentioned, among others, the following measures:
Further planned initiatives include modular uniforms, licence plate recognition systems on motorways, accelerated judicial proceedings, and tougher penalties for certain offences.
Finally, the increase in personnel is also worth noting: the recruitment quota has been raised from 150 to 200.
Between 2023 and 2025, the police force will grow by 500 officers. Peters did note however that there was still "room for improvement" when it came to infrastructure.
Peters welcomed the introduction of a new telephone line, the "blue line", which has taken around 2,300 calls off the 113 emergency number.
It is also beneficial for both the police and the public, Peters said, that officers now carry tablets or laptops, allowing them to complete certain procedures directly on the spot.
There is also now the "Blue Star" award recognising exemplary officers. Thirty-two such awards have been presented.
A video shown at the reception featured the recipients. For security reasons, most remained anonymous, though their actions were recounted.
These ranged from cases where officers had saved lives, to successful investigations or internal improvements, and even included a report of police brutality at the police station near the Luxembourg City train station, which has since been closed.
The Police Director highlighted positive outcomes from police work in areas such as burglaries, thefts and drug-related offences.
However, the police are increasingly encountering physical violence, particularly involving knives.
Last year, officers responded to 20% more incidents of this kind than in 2023.
Peters argued, however, that the majority of these cases take place within a domestic or family context.
Many of the so-called security issues currently under discussion, the Police Director said, were in fact deeper societal problems.
Both Peters and Gloden drew attention to the role of the justice system, as well as that of the health and family sectors.
