Luxembourg: police & security agencies
01 January 1991
Luxembourg: police & security agencies
bacdoc July=1995
The information in this country file was first published in the
handbook "Statewatching the new Europe" (November 1993). It was
compiled by Peter Klerks and extracted from a longer report which
is available from: The Domestic Security Research Foundation, PO
Box 11178, 1001 GD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Luxembourg
2,586 km², 388,017 inhabitants
Long-form name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Luxembourg
Administrative divisions: 3 districts
Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Executive branch: grand duke, prime minister, vice prime
minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des
Deputes); note--the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) is an
advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of
Deputies
Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de
Justice). The principle of professional judges is maintained; the
system of selecting a jury of ordinary citizens has not been used
in Luxembourg since 1814.
POLICE STRUCTURE & forces
Total no. of police officers (1992 estimate, Hazenberg en
Mulschlegel 1992): 1,100. Women in the police: The percentage of
women in the Gendarmerie is about 3% in the NCO ranks, and in the
police 5.6% in 1992. No. of police officers per 100,000
inhabitants: 282 (EC av. 338)
Luxembourg has two forces, the Corps de Police of around 500
personnel and the 600-strong Gendarmerie. Both are responsible
to the Ministries of Defence, Justice and the Interior. The
policing tradition is mainly based on the French system. Corps
de Police is deployed in villages of more than 5,000. All major
crimes are transferred to the Sûreté de Gendarmerie to
investigate. Police officers are normally equipped with sidearms;
additional weaponry is available. The paramilitary Gendarmerie,
deployed throughout Luxembourg, covers all types of policing
functions. A Mobile Group is responsible for riot control and
observation and intervention operations. The Gendarmerie has its
own training facilities. A pistol or .357 revolver is carried as
standard sidearm; FAL rifles and UZI or Heckler & Koch sub
machine guns are available.
Source: Statewatch database on the WWW