During the municipal council which was held this Monday, September 27 in
Luxembourg-city, the opposition and the majority have more than ever shown
their differences on the subject of security at the station, while Henri Kox
announced a better visibility of the police presence in the capital.
“This motion has no chance to
pass!” The mayor of Luxembourg-city Lydie Polfer (DP)
set the tone on Monday, September 27, a few minutes before the start of the
municipal council. Among the ten or so items on the agenda, the one concerning
“public order and (the) private guarding: the continuation”, carried
by the groups LSAP, Déi Gréng and Déi Lénk, and added a few days ago , in
particular fueled the debates, and the same opposition had also filed a motion
asking “for the immediate termination of the agreement with the security
company G4S”.
“We have been asking for it for several months, but we have
not been heard,” regrets Guy Foetz, municipal councilor of Dei
Lénk. “The majority are in a pure and simple security logic, but
there are other much more predominant problems in the City, such as housing or
mobility.”
More visible police officers
A feeling shared
by his LSAP counterpart Tom Krieps. “We are in a real dialogue of the deaf!” He
laments. “Some parties think that the security debate will be profitable,
particularly in view of elections, and this often works very well since the
subject touches on people’s emotions. But what I particularly notice is that we
heard the Minister of Internal Security Henri
Kox on the subject, but at no
time the Prime Minister, who is nevertheless from the same party as the
burgomaster. I have the impression that Lydie Polfer puts Xavier
Bettel in a rather
uncomfortable situation, ”observes Tom Krieps.
That same Monday, September 27, the Minister of Internal
Security Henri Kox (Déi Gréng) indeed held a press point with the Grand-Ducal
Police to present “the plan for better police visibility.”
“Having taken into account the urgency of the situation, as well as the
feeling of insecurity felt by the population, the plan for better police
visibility will be deployed as of today (read Monday), and this primarily in
the territory of the city of Luxembourg ”, explains the ministry’s press
release.
Implemented as part of “a collective police effort, the
plan calls for an increased presence of uniformed police on the
ground.” This will be ensured by foot patrols, fixed posts, road
checkpoints or even bicycle patrols at key locations in the neighborhoods
concerned, all obviously 7 days a week. This visible presence constitutes
a purely preventive measure in order to reinforce the subjective feeling of
security among the population. The patrols will obviously intervene in the
event of an emergency, and may be relayed by other units dispatched to the site
depending on the type of intervention required in order to allow these patrols
to continue to ensure a visible presence. ”
85% of drug cases at the Gare and Bonnevoie
An announcement expected by both the majority and the
opposition. “But for us, the solution is not repression, but
prevention, and it is also up to the City to invest in the social and to play
its role in the field of town planning or culture through example ”, insists
the municipal councilor Christa Brömmel (déi Gréng).
And when the opposition asked for the termination of the
contract with G4S, mayor Lydie Polfer replied that “the contract runs until
November 15, there is no reason to stop it. We have serious problems at
the station, the inhabitants have voted for this private security solution
”. And the motion was, as expected before the meeting, defeated.
Following the incident at the
station on Saturday, September 4, the Grand Ducal police
told Paperjam that around 20% of all offenses recorded in the
capital would be drug cases (trafficking or consumption). That is to say a
total of 2,500 cases, up 10% in one year. And among these, “more than 60%
are recorded in the Gare district and 25% in Bonnevoie”. Henri Kox, for
his part, announced a few weeks ago that a “package of
measures” concerning security is currently in preparation
within his ministry, and should be delivered to the government council during
the month of October.
The arguments of the opposition parties in the city council are laughable. Many of the problems listed (lack of preventive measures, lack of means) and the deflections (i.e. arguing that there are more important issues such as housing) require national actions.
Moreover, the LSAP has been part of the government since 1984 and formed part of most after-war governments until 1979.
Many of today’s problems are ultimately caused by insufficient actions by successive governments. The CSV is just as bad in that respect.
The greens have been part of the government for the past 8 years and don’t have much to show for when it comes to the issues mentioned in the article.
This is not a rant about one political party in particular but against the constant bickering among all of them (bar the pirates who seem to be the most capable ones to admit when another party’s proposal is good)
2 comments
Google Translate
During the municipal council which was held this Monday, September 27 in
Luxembourg-city, the opposition and the majority have more than ever shown
their differences on the subject of security at the station, while Henri Kox
announced a better visibility of the police presence in the capital.
“This motion has no chance to
pass!” The mayor of Luxembourg-city Lydie Polfer (DP)
set the tone on Monday, September 27, a few minutes before the start of the
municipal council. Among the ten or so items on the agenda, the one concerning
“public order and (the) private guarding: the continuation”, carried
by the groups LSAP, Déi Gréng and Déi Lénk, and added a few days ago , in
particular fueled the debates, and the same opposition had also filed a motion
asking “for the immediate termination of the agreement with the security
company G4S”.
“We have been asking for it for several months, but we have
not been heard,” regrets Guy Foetz, municipal councilor of Dei
Lénk. “The majority are in a pure and simple security logic, but
there are other much more predominant problems in the City, such as housing or
mobility.”
More visible police officers
A feeling shared
by his LSAP counterpart Tom Krieps. “We are in a real dialogue of the deaf!” He
laments. “Some parties think that the security debate will be profitable,
particularly in view of elections, and this often works very well since the
subject touches on people’s emotions. But what I particularly notice is that we
heard the Minister of Internal Security Henri
Kox on the subject, but at no
time the Prime Minister, who is nevertheless from the same party as the
burgomaster. I have the impression that Lydie Polfer puts Xavier
Bettel in a rather
uncomfortable situation, ”observes Tom Krieps.
That same Monday, September 27, the Minister of Internal
Security Henri Kox (Déi Gréng) indeed held a press point with the Grand-Ducal
Police to present “the plan for better police visibility.”
“Having taken into account the urgency of the situation, as well as the
feeling of insecurity felt by the population, the plan for better police
visibility will be deployed as of today (read Monday), and this primarily in
the territory of the city of Luxembourg ”, explains the ministry’s press
release.
Implemented as part of “a collective police effort, the
plan calls for an increased presence of uniformed police on the
ground.” This will be ensured by foot patrols, fixed posts, road
checkpoints or even bicycle patrols at key locations in the neighborhoods
concerned, all obviously 7 days a week. This visible presence constitutes
a purely preventive measure in order to reinforce the subjective feeling of
security among the population. The patrols will obviously intervene in the
event of an emergency, and may be relayed by other units dispatched to the site
depending on the type of intervention required in order to allow these patrols
to continue to ensure a visible presence. ”
85% of drug cases at the Gare and Bonnevoie
An announcement expected by both the majority and the
opposition. “But for us, the solution is not repression, but
prevention, and it is also up to the City to invest in the social and to play
its role in the field of town planning or culture through example ”, insists
the municipal councilor Christa Brömmel (déi Gréng).
And when the opposition asked for the termination of the
contract with G4S, mayor Lydie Polfer replied that “the contract runs until
November 15, there is no reason to stop it. We have serious problems at
the station, the inhabitants have voted for this private security solution
”. And the motion was, as expected before the meeting, defeated.
Following the incident at the
station on Saturday, September 4, the Grand Ducal police
told Paperjam that around 20% of all offenses recorded in the
capital would be drug cases (trafficking or consumption). That is to say a
total of 2,500 cases, up 10% in one year. And among these, “more than 60%
are recorded in the Gare district and 25% in Bonnevoie”. Henri Kox, for
his part, announced a few weeks ago that a “package of
measures” concerning security is currently in preparation
within his ministry, and should be delivered to the government council during
the month of October.
The arguments of the opposition parties in the city council are laughable. Many of the problems listed (lack of preventive measures, lack of means) and the deflections (i.e. arguing that there are more important issues such as housing) require national actions.
Moreover, the LSAP has been part of the government since 1984 and formed part of most after-war governments until 1979.
Many of today’s problems are ultimately caused by insufficient actions by successive governments. The CSV is just as bad in that respect.
The greens have been part of the government for the past 8 years and don’t have much to show for when it comes to the issues mentioned in the article.
This is not a rant about one political party in particular but against the constant bickering among all of them (bar the pirates who seem to be the most capable ones to admit when another party’s proposal is good)