Any natural or legal person who believes that a member of the Police has committed a breach or acted inappropriately, or that there is a problem with the functioning of a police department, can lodge a claim with the IGP.

Any natural or legal person who considers themselves to be a victim of an act that may constitute a criminal offence committed by a member of the Police, or who has knowledge of such an act, can lodge a complaint with the IGP.

And if such events are noted by police officers, they have the right to do the same.

Lodging a claim or complaint

You can submit your grievances or concerns to the IGP:

• online via MyGuichet.lu (see 'Online services and forms') with or without authentication using:
  • a LuxTrust product;
  • an electronic identity card (eID); or
  • an eIDAS-compliant means of identification issued by another European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) Member State.
• in person at the premises of the IGP:

11, rue Robert Stumper
L-2557 Luxembourg
Tel.: (+352) 26 48 53 1
(preferably by appointment)

• by sending a letter stating your name, address, telephone number and date of birth, together with a copy of your identity document, to the following postal address:

Inspection générale de la Police
B.P. 1202
L-1012 Luxembourg

Claims and complaints can be submitted either directly or through the intermediary of a lawyer.

In principle, claims filed anonymously will not be taken into account. The Police is required to submit any claims or complaints addressed to them directly to the IGP.

Processing of claims

The processing of the claim gives rise to an administrative investigation.

Each administrative investigation launched by the IGP will be communicated to the General Directorate of Police. The General Directorate of Police will inform the police officer or department concerned as well their hierarchical superiors.

Upon receipt of the claim, and provided the claim leads to an administrative investigation, the claimant is informed in writing of the name of the investigator(s) tasked by the IGP. The claimant is also informed that they will be contacted.

Processing of complaints

The handling of the complaint gives rise to the opening of a judicial investigation conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and under the direction of the competent judicial authorities.

When a complaint is lodged via MyGuichet.lu, the complainant is subsequently summoned by the General Police Inspectorate to formalise their complaint, to provide further details where necessary, and to answer questions from the investigator in charge of the case.

Outcome of the claim or the complaint

At the end of the administrative investigation, the IGP communicates its conclusions and possible recommendations in writing to the General Directorate of Police, which will then take a position on the matter and inform the IGP of any actions it intends to take.

The General Directorate of Police informs the department or officer in question of the outcome of the investigations and the recommendations made by the IGP. Where applicable, the General Directorate of Police, for their part, undertakes the necessary internal measures (warnings, awareness training, adaptation of procedures and prescribed measures, etc.), following the conclusions of the IGP.

As regards the claimant, the IGP's conclusions will be communicated to them in broad terms only. The IGP then transmits the result of the administrative investigation in the form of a report to the responsible minister.

In the case of a formal complaint (for presumably criminal acts), the IGP will send their records and reports to the competent judicial authorities. The Code of Criminal Procedure will be applied in this case. As a result, the conclusions of an investigation can only be communicated by the competent territorial public prosecutor's office.

Withdrawal of a claim or complaint

The claimant may withdraw their claim or complaint in writing at any time. However, the IGP may continue its investigations if it believes that the facts referred to need to be investigated further.

Restrictions

The IGP does not have the remit to handle claims relating to the validity of penalty notices (AT), in particular fines arising from violations of the highway code. These claims should be addressed directly to the officer who issued the fine, the police or the appropriate judicial authorities, before the penalty notice is paid.

The IGP is also not competent in matters of claims which concern legal cases already in progress.

Each claim which is manifestly unfounded, not sufficiently detailed or not related to misconduct or an operational issue will not be investigated.

The decision not to take action following a claim will be explained and communicated in writing to the claimant. A copy of the letter will be sent to the minister and the Director General of the Police.

Sanctions

Each claim/complaint lodged against a police officer or a police department which is clearly based on false or fictitious allegations and whose only purpose is to harm the members of the police force shall be deemed to be made in bad faith and shall therefore be likely to constitute a false accusation under article 445 of the Criminal Code.

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