Repression for the sake of feeling safe

The coalition between the CSV and DP has started to set new security policy priorities. A year and a half after coming to power, the plans are becoming more concrete. However, keeping track of everything from the begging debate to local police units and the expansion of banning people from the streets is not an easy task, even for those with an interest in politics.

However, it is undisputed that some of the proposed laws provoke fierce backlash. Critical voices warn of arbitrariness and question the proportionality of legislative interventions – sometimes even their fundamental necessity.

A legal basis for the "local police unit"

On 18 March of this year, Interior Minister Léon Gloden (CSV) submitted the draft law that enshrines the "unité de police locale" in the Police Act. The amendment supplements the law with the "proximity" ("proximité") component, which according to the government was neglected in the last reform, but is essential for improving the sense of security among the population. Thanks to these units, 1,650 additional checks were carried out in Esch/Alzette and Luxembourg City as part of the six-month pilot project, which contributed to the population's sense of security, Gloden summarised last December.

Municipalities can already apply for such a local police unit under certain conditions. Units are already planned in Differdange and in the Moselle region.

Contrary to what was announced in the coalition agreement, the mayors will not be given "pouvoir de direction", i.e. a kind of authority to issue instructions to these units. Experience from the pilot project has shown that such a provision is not only "not necessary", but the mayors themselves are also "almost unanimously" against it, according to the bill.

Making "aggressive" begging a criminal offence

In July 2024, Minister of Justice Elisabeth Margue (CSV) introduced the first of several bills aimed at dusting off the Criminal Code. The public focus is primarily on "begging" and "vagrancy", which should no longer be punishable as such – just as our French and Belgian neighbours did more than 30 years ago. If the reform was intended to end the discussion about the so-called begging ban, it has at the same time sparked a new controversy about the criminal prosecution of "aggressive" begging (according to the initial draft, with a fine of 251 to 3,000 euros and/or a prison sentence of 15 days to two years). The government was inspired by French law, but has tightened the provision by, among other things, prohibiting the "aggressive solicitation […] of money, valuables or an object" not only "on the public street, in publicly accessible places and buildings", but also extending it to the "entrance to residential buildings", as the Council of State states in its opinion. In addition, unlike in France, the provision would also apply to individuals.