Preventing Crime & Creating Safer Communities
Home | Distance learning | Information & news | Discussions | Join the network | Contact | Useful links

Crime Prevention Information & News

Creating Safer Communities in Europe: a crime prevention sourcebook

LUXEMBOURG

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, being one of the smallest countries of the European Union, operates its crime prevention system mainly at the national level. That does not mean that the local level is not taken into consideration.

The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence (responsible for the Gendarmerie and the Police) and the Ministry of Education act together, through a joint working group, to organise crime prevention.

Apart from legal sanctions and deterrents, the working group supports community initiatives to prevent crime. A good example of community based crime prevention is its endeavour to combat drug abuse and consumption. Non-uniformed police officers try to dissuade young people from drug consumption by contacting them to explain the dangers brought about by the use of drugs and by organising anti-drug discos.

A legal/administrative programme aims to decrease youth alcoholism by raising the prices of alcoholic beverages and, at the same time, reducing the prices of soft drinks, as well as offering alternatives to alcoholic beverages.

Taking into consideration that crime prevention programmes have only recently been introduced in Luxembourg, no formal evaluation system has been worked out so far.

Contact:

Mr. F. Diederich, Commander of the Gendarmerie, Luxembourg.