A new €5.5 million police control centre near Luxembourg’s airport has been fielding emergency calls with updated radio systems and technical equipment in the month since it launched, Interior Minister Léon Gloden said on Monday at a presentation of the new facility.
Some 59 employees, including police officers and civilians, work around the clock at the new premises in Findel, which has been operational since November 17. As well as more modern technology and workstations, it has higher ceilings and better acoustics for phone calls.
The old police control centre was 14 years old with computers, radio systems and other technical equipment that was outdated and no longer met today’s standards, Gloden explained. The call centre handles around 140,000 emergency calls every year, or an average of 380 a day.
Interior Minister Léon Gloden at the presentation of the new centre on Monday © Photo credit: Chris Karaba
As well as taking emergency calls staff at the new centre deal with internal police calls from around the country, as well as enquires from foreign forces.
Police Director Pascal Peters also presented a new online platform on Monday, on which witnesses to a crime can share images and videos with the police. This will only be available for major incidents such as terrorist attacks.
Luxembourg will also launch a police support unit (GSO) in January 2026 to be deployed around the clock to intervene in emergencies.
Among other things, the officers of the newly formed GSO unit will carry a taser and wear special neck protection from January. © Photo credit: Chris Karaba
This team will carry out normal patrols on a day-to-day basis – mainly in urban areas – but will be called out to other incidents such as a knife attack or domestic violence incidents, and attempt to bring a situation under control until a special force arrives.
These officers will also be equipped with tasers.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by Kate Oglesby)