The police have seen a lot at the Schueberfouer over the years, from petty offences like theft to brawls that got out of hand. So far, the 2022 edition has been relatively uneventful.
At the Schueberfouer, the police have many missions, including looking for lost objects, investigating thefts, registering kids for the “lost children” service, and security patrols. On Friday, our colleague Nina Schagen from RTL.lu got a firsthand peek at what an evening at the Fouer is like for the police.
When thinking about the police at the Schueberfouer, the Fouer-Kommissariat (“Fouer Police Station”) at the funfair’s entrance comes to mind almost immediately. But the police are also present on the site itself in the form of security patrols that regularly check the site and the surrounding area.
According to Catherine Weber, a police spokeswoman, different officers participate in these patrols. As such, officers from the dog unit can be a part of them, but also police officers from abroad, in the context of international cooperation.
As for the surrounding areas of the Glacis, one particular location of interest is the nearby park.
On Friday evening, the patrol did examine the park. The officers checked two individuals who were walking through the park but did not find anything out of the ordinary. The two pedestrians were thus allowed to resume their walk
So far, the Schueberfouer 2022 has been rather uneventful, according to Georges Beffort, inspector with the Luxembourg City Police.
“You can see that people are thrilled to be out and about,” Beffort said. Most people are “happy and friendly”.
There have been isolated cases of people causing some problems, but that is nothing extraordinary, according to the police inspector. “If the police are satisfied, then the people are satisfied and vice-versa,” Beffort noted, adding that the stall owners also share the same goals.
But besides the security patrols, the police have other responsabilities as well.
According to Catherine Weber, these include objects that people find and bring to the police, people who want to register their kids with the “lost children” service, and being alert at all times so that officers can respond swiftly if an intervention is required.
So far, some 800 children have been registered with the “lost children” service, but what is that exactly?
Weber explains that people who come to the Schueberfouer with children, such as daycare employees, parents, or other legal guardians, may register their children ahead of time through the police’s E-Kommissariat on police.lu.
Read also: Registration for “lost children” service opens
Using this website, people can submit their contact details and when they arrive at the Schueberfouer, they can collect a sticker with all the details at the police station near the entrance. This way, if a child goes missing, it is much easier to find the parent(s) or legal guardian and reunite them, Weber explains.
On another note, the police have noticed that some people appear to have missed the memo that the Fouer is no longer open until 2am on weekends this year.
According to Beffort, “some people manage to have a lot of drinks until 1am, when it’s time to go home.” In this case, officers approach visitors and remind them that the Fouer is about to close, at which point “nearly everybody accepts to leave”.
Some are a bit more stubborn, but “we just explain it to them a second time, and then it all works out in the end.”
Visitors also appear to be satisfied with the security at the Schueberfouer, with one person commenting that they are pleased to see police patrolling the entire site rather than just the entrance. They say that the strong police presence allows them to visit the Fouer without fear.
