The two main issues of the evening were the training of new recruits and safety in the Gare district. SNPGL president Pascal Riquier issued strong criticism against Minister of Defence Henri Kox, who he believes to lack the political will to improve the situation in the capital’s infamous district. Riquier further noted that Minister Kox only proposes half-hearted solutions to not anger any potential voters.
To combat personnel shortages, the police have decided to call back officers tasked with accompanying prisoner transportation. However, this cannot be the long-term solution to increase police presence in the Gare district, president Riquier underlined. At the moment, the only possibility would be “massive” amounts of overtime.
SNPGL vice president Marco Richard addressed the current recruitment strategy, which envisions to send second-year trainees out into the field to accompany officers and learn from them: “The system would collapse if we did not proceed this way. The school is not able to host 200 students in their fist year and just as many in their second year.”
On the one hand, the government spends a significant amount of time and energy on recruitment campaigns and posters, but fails to provide adequate infrastructure on the other hand, SNPGL officials further lamented. Dialogue with social partners and unions is not conducted, which makes the job less attractive for new recruits.
President Riquier also criticised the fact that Minister Kox keeps giving himself pats on the back for the success of the recruitment campaign, although this is just a continuation of what former Minister Etienne Schneider had launched before leaving office. After all, about 1,100 more police officers are needed at the moment, he concluded.
