This announcement comes on the heels of a letter from the police’s South-West regional directorate to municipalities in southern Luxembourg, which has caused discontent among local authorities. The letter, urging special security measures for Christmas markets and other large events, including “targeted searches” at entrances, was met with resistance.
Prompted by the concerns of several municipalities, two LSAP MPs, Francine Closener and Dan Biancalana, urgently submitted a parliamentary question to Minister Gloden. They sought clarification on the delay in informing municipalities and wanted to know which body would be responsible for monitoring security arrangements.
In response, the Minister clarified that the letter was an initiative of the South-West Regional Police Directorate, aimed at reminding organisers of key security principles for such events. Gloden also stated that the current alert level 2 of the VIGILNAT plan would be maintained. This level denotes a “medium danger” with a “real but abstract” risk of a terrorist attack. The VIGILNAT plan is based on a four-tier structure for assessing terrorist threats.
Additionally, Minister Gloden clarified that local authorities’ security arrangements at Christmas markets are not directly monitored by the police. Instead, he assured that preventive patrols would, “as usual,” maintain a regular presence around the markets.
In an effort to prevent future misunderstandings, Minister Gloden pledged to foster proactive communication between the police and local authorities well in advance, aiming for a smoother collaboration on security measures for public events.
