It is the final weekend of the Schueberfouer, and up to two million visitors on average pass through the funfair each year. With such large crowds however things can inevitably become more hectic too. To keep everything running as smoothly and safely as possible, a dedicated police station has once again been set up at the main entrance, as in previous years. Patrols are also on the move across the Glacis. RTL's Marlène Clement joined them on Thursday's Biergerdag.
The fair is slowly drawing to a close, and so far police are painting a broadly positive picture. Over the past three years, the overall number of call-outs on the Glacis has come down. During the fair, officers keep up a heightened presence around the rides and are also supported by colleagues from neighbouring France, Germany, and Belgium. Cross-border cooperation is no longer a novelty. For the most part, it is mainly about a certain form of exchange.
The dedicated police station at the fair has also become a fixture. Presence and prevention work, the inspector from the Bonnevoie police station said on Biergerdag this week.
There are, of course, some people with bad intentions who take advantage of a busy setting to steal, he pointed out, but on the whole things have been quiet.
Arguments and disputes have also, so far, been kept to a minimum. The police presence, in that sense, is understood as being above all preventive.
If something does happen, the inspector explained, officers can be on the spot immediately and can react straight away. When people who might otherwise be tempted to cause trouble see officers on the ground, they tend to think twice before doing anything.
This approach seems to be paying off. Looking at the last three years, there is a downward trend in interventions. Members of the public also do not seem to be bothered by the police presence, quite the opposite.
