Luxembourg City, Luxembourg: 2006 Crime and Safety Report
Crime & Safety
Europe
-
Luxembourg
25 Apr 2006
Overall Crime and Safety Situation
Luxembourg remains a relatively safe city. Its charm and friendliness, however, can lull one into thinking crime is non-existent in the Grand Duchy. Luxembourg is a small, affluent country about the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, with open borders with France, Germany and Belgium. In recent years, the Grand Duchy has seen an increase in non-violent crimes such as burglary and pickpocketing. Additionally, there has been a gradual increase in violent crimes such as assaults, muggings, armed robberies and even a few murders.
Much of the street crime in Luxembourg is committed on foreign tourists who appear preoccupied and unfamiliar with their surroundings. Pickpockets may be encountered in the usual areas of a big city - train and bus stations, hotel lobbies and the airport. Car theft is becoming a common crime in Luxembourg.
Within the past year, there has been a marked increase in the sale of drugs to youth in the main public park that rings the north side of the City Center. The large number of teenagers in this area of Luxembourg City during the school year has attracted a sophisticated network of generally West African immigrants who sell illicit drugs. The relative affluence of youth in the area has helped stave off a rise in petty crime to support these habits. The Grand-Duchy Police are actively addressing this new phenomenon to their country with targeted actions against the dealers and outreach programs within the schools. These police efforts have begun to generate positive results.
Residential crime continues to be the most common nonviolent crime in the Grand Duchy. These crimes usually take place after thieves have surveilled a residence over time to determine predictability or extended absence of the resident. The primary target of residential thieves in Luxembourg is jewelry and small valuables that can be easily transported and sold. Though relatively uncommon, home invasions of occupied residences have occurred. In these instances, the criminals do not harm the occupants but will take the residents' car, along with small valuables.
Political Violence
Luxembourg is a very stable constitutional monarchy. It enjoys the highest per capita GDP in the world. Protests are infrequent and tend to be small and nonviolent. Strikes are extremely rare. Organized groups sometimes travel from outside Luxembourg to demonstrate at the embassy or one of the European Union facilities in the city. Luxembourg is often the venue for demonstrations against banking secrecy laws/tax havens and is also a popular rallying point for environmental groups. In 2005 there were only a few small, peaceful demonstrations against the European Union. Local Police continue to be effective in containing demonstrations.
It is important to note that the open border policies of the Schengen countries could easily facilitate the movement of terrorist groups in and out of Luxembourg. The Luxembourg Grand Duchy Police take a proactive stance in detecting terrorist elements that may attempt to establish themselves in the country. They maintain strong cooperative relations with neighboring Police services and with their U.S. counterparts through U.S. Embassy Luxembourg.
Post-Specific Concerns
A few kilometers across the southern border of Luxembourg into France is the Cattenom nuclear power plant. Accordingly, the Government of Luxembourg has created a thorough and well-defined emergency response plan in the event of a nuclear disaster. The government of Luxembourg provides each household in the country with a user-friendly copy of this plan written in English, French, Portuguese and German. The Government's official Internet website (www.gouvernement.lu) also contains this plan. Luxembourg Civil Protection maintains an audible alarm system throughout the country that would be used to notify and instruct residents in the event of a nuclear mishap.
Police Response
The Grand Duchy Police are highly professional, well trained and well equipped. They are, however, limited in staff and seldom arrive in time to interdict a crime in progress. Their investigative techniques and resources are excellent. The emergency number for the police in Luxembourg is 113. Dialing 113 from any local telephone in Luxembourg will connect the caller with a multi-lingual (including English) dispatcher who can provide assistance for police, emergency or medical crises.
Medical Emergencies
A caller can receive emergency medical assistance by dialing 112. On weekends each of the several hospitals and pharmacies in Luxembourg are designated on a rotating basis by the 112 service to provide emergency response. Luxembourg also has a medical airlift helicopter service that has three hubs covering the entire country. This service can provide trauma support and transport to the most appropriate hospital in the region. Hospitals and clinics in Luxembourg provide state-of-the-art medical care.
Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim
U.S. Embassy Luxembourg advises American visitors to exercise normal caution to avoid becoming a victim of crime. One should avoid behavior that draws unnecessary attention. Excess money and valuables should be safely secured in hotels rather than being carried while touring the city. Luxembourg law requires that one carry official identification at all times. As passports are prime targets for thieves, a good alternative form of identification is a copy of the first page of your passport (certified by the consular section as a true copy, if possible). A valid driver's license from your home state is also sufficient for short-term visits.
Visitors are advised to lock unattended vehicles and to park in frequently traveled, well-lit areas. If valuables must be left in a vehicle, they should be locked in the trunk prior to arriving at the area where the vehicle will be parked. (Thieves often watch parking areas in Luxembourg and note the transfer of items from the passenger compartment to the trunk.) There are many large and well-maintained parking garages near the center of Luxembourg City. Similar to most major cities, these are common sites for thieves to confront lone drivers parking or returning to their vehicle.
Driving in Luxembourg is safe and very orderly. The roads in Luxembourg are arguably the best maintained in Europe. In the event of a traffic accident with no injuries, drivers generally exchange insurance and contact information and continue on. Drivers seldom discuss or argue who is at fault in a minor car accident. If the accident is severe enough to render a vehicle immovable or if injuries occur, the police should be contacted immediately at 113.
ATM machines are available throughout the city and are generally positioned in well-lit areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. Muggings of ATM customers have occurred infrequently. Credit card fraud through ATM use or in restaurants has been equally infrequent. Many waiters in restaurants will swipe the customer's credit card into a hand-held reader at the table to assure that the card doesn't leave the sight of the customer. A few locations continue to print the full card number of the client on their receipts. It is best to always take the receipt and destroy it yourself. The usual prudent security practices should be exercised when using ATMs or credit cards for business transactions.
Areas of Luxembourg City that are known for a higher incidence of crime include the train station and surrounding area, public parking structures, and public parks, particularly after dark. Appropriate caution should be exercised in these areas. There are many public parks in Luxembourg City that are well kept and enjoyable. After dark, however, they are the site of occasional assaults and muggings. Parks should be avoided after dark, especially if walking alone. The bus system in Luxembourg is extensive, clean and very efficient. Taxi service is also excellent but it is recommended that taxis be ordered through the hotel concierge or by telephone. Local taxi companies and police discourage hailing taxis on the street.
Luxembourg has many hiking and bicycling paths both in the city and the outlying forest areas. When frequenting these outlying areas, visitors should never venture alone and always inform friends or their hotel of their itinerary. Though relatively safe, criminals have sometimes taken advantage of secluded areas frequented by hikers and bikers in the summer months.
For Further Information
U.S. EMBASSY LUXEMBOURG
U.S. Embassy Switchboard: +(352) 46-01-23
Fax: +(352) 46-14-01
Regional Security Office Luxembourg: (352) 46-01-23
Consulate General: +(352) 46-01-23 ext. 2213
Fax: +(352) 46-19-39
In an after-hours emergency involving a U.S. citizen, please call +(352) 46-01-23 and dial "0".
U.S. Embassy Website: http://luxembourg.usembassy.gov/index.html
For more specific information on Luxembourg, see www.visitluxembourg.com
There is no active OSAC Country Council in Luxembourg. However, U.S. private sector organizations in Luxembourg often participate in seminars and meetings as with the two active Benelux councils. For more information, including meeting dates and times, please contact the Regional Security Offices in The Hague or Brussels, or OSAC's Western Europe Regional Coordinator in Washington. You may also visit http://thehague.osac.gov and http://brussels.osac.gov.
|
