According to the SNPGL, officers are currently utterly overwhelmed with their workload and continue doing overtime to ensure that the police keeps functioning. Officials thus sought to appeal to the country’s politicians and get across that the safety of Luxembourg’s residents is being put at risk.
SNPGL president Pascal Ricquier also addressed the double homicide in Niederkorn, which shocked the country on Monday morning: “There are situations like in the Wild West. How often do we still have to repeat our pleas? People in the government, you have to wake up, this country is no longer an island! What kind of society do we want? How much crime are we willing to accept? How long does the government intend on watching?”
The SNPGL advocates for stricter laws to stay in control of the situation. Also, officials argued that politicians have to decide on the type of force that they want, one that follows rigorous steps or one that shuts its eyes. Verdicts in recent trials involving police officers may further contribute to a sense of fear within the force that potentially increases the tendency to look away, warned SNPGL officials.
The amount of overtime and the nature of their tasks further contribute to more and more people loosing interest in serving as police officers, noted Ricquier: “The only ones that break down over time are our officers working in the field. There are some who are unable to withstand the pressure, become ill, or even disgusted with police work. Disgusted!”
Although police officers are not allowed to go on strike, nothing prevents them from demonstrating. However, this begs the question of who ensures the safety during such a protest, warned officials at the general assembly.
