No limits for foreign police pursuits into Luxembourg

Police forces in Luxembourg's neighbouring countries will be able to pursue suspects in the Grand Duchy starting from Monday, in a push to improve cross-border police cooperation.

Until now, French and German police have had to remain within 10 kilometres of the border and call on Luxembourg police to take over beyond that distance.

The new law gives French police officers the right to hunt after suspects that committed severe crimes, such as murder, rape or drug trafficking without having to stay within 10 kilometres of the border, the Ministry for Internal Security said in a press release. 

German and Belgian police can pursue suspects for any reason and can arrest suspects themselves, the ministry said. French police will still not be able to make an arrest and will have to call on Luxembourg's force to do so.

The new law goes beyond the Schengen Accords of 1985 which only gave foreign police forces the right to move into a neighbouring country for 10 kilometres.

The Grand Duchy's location in the centre of Europe, its role as an EU capital and its outsized financial industry make it attractive for international crime, the global law enforcement organisation Interpol said last year.

Criminal gangs in Luxembourg are mainly involved in thefts, migrant smuggling, prostitution and human trafficking, police reported in 2019. The Italian mafia organisation called the 'Ndrangheta is believed to be present in Luxembourg's catering and real estate industries.

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