Luxembourg ranks number 1 in several quality of living indexes surveys, such as ‘best healthcare in the world’, ‘richest country on earth,’ and ‘global highest GDP per capita.’ In a recent international study, The Grand Duchy did it once again as the safest state on the planet for ex-pats. The study was performed by InterNations, the world’s biggest network of individuals who immigrated to a foreign country to live and work abroad.
In their most recent survey, 14,300 expats in 191 nations of 174 nationalities were asked 43 questions. The study focused on various elements regarding life in their host country.
Safety was one of the primary elements of the study, and Luxembourg came out on top. It ranked higher than other high profile counterparts such as Singapore, Switzerland, New Zealand, Oman, and Canada. The InterNations survey was published in the prestigious British publications The Independent and Business Insider UK. In their articles, they stated that Luxembourg has “a population of a bit over half a million individuals with one of the lowest crime rates in the world.” Additional to public security rates, the survey also took into account financial and social security. Not surprisingly, Luxembourg comes on top of those topics as well.
Issues with drug dealing, bribery, corruption, theft, and vandalism are deficient, so much so, that the country lacks enough data to classify some of them as a concern. (For instance, in 2018, there were a total of 4 homicides in the country.) It’s important to note that Luxembourg is not 100% crime-free. Rare burglaries do occur. However, seldom does this refer to house burglary, as it’s much more directed to purse snatching and pickpocketing that happens mostly in the summer months. The offenders are usually foreigners from less prosperous countries that take advantage of the wealthy and carefree population.
Safety precautions
Even in the safest country on Earth, the saying “better safe than sorry” applies. Therefore, standard safety precautions are advised. Luxembourg has very well lit and maintained roads and public parks that are extremely safe during the day. Like anywhere else, avoid parks after dark. Be mindful when in busy areas during the tourist season. In the case of an emergency, help is widely available. You can always dial 112 for an ambulance or a fire, or 113 for the police.
These are basic precautions that apply to any country or city in the world. However, many Luxembourgish households ignore them and leave their homes’ front door unlocked.
Luxembourg police and protection force
The Grand Ducal Police makes up the primary law enforcement agency in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and are responsible for safeguarding internal security, maintaining law and order, border control and law enforcement. The Grand Ducal Police is also responsible for assisting the military with internal operations if needed.
Luxembourg’s police force operations are divided into six regions under the command of a regional director of primary intervention centers (CIP), secondary intervention centers (CIS), local police stations, and region-wide services. Region headquarters are in Capellen, Diekirch, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg City, and Mersch. Under these CIPs are thirteen CIS. These offices are available 24/7 via phone number 113.
In addition, regional police forces are responsible for policing the roads, criminal investigation, and providing aid to victims of crime. A special police division at Luxembourg Findel Airport is directly responsible for border control.
Law and Justice in Luxembourg
It may be a small country, but there are laws to abide by and a civil law court system to uphold. In fact, The European Court of Justice (ECJ), the highest court in the European Union and European Union law, is based in Luxembourg.
Private data security in Luxembourg
Most people would find this section in this article to be misplaced. The general public still doesn’t realize the severe security threat related to the abuse of their sensitive/private data shared or distributed online. Nevertheless, cybercrime is more predominant than ever. Ransomware damages alone are now predicted to cost the world $11.5 billion in 2019. Ransomware is when hackers block an individual’s or a company’s access to their private data in exchange for money. This is just one example of countless types of cybercrime, which is on the rise and becoming one of the main topics of concern when it comes to security in general.
Additionally, several countries around the world keep close surveillance on their citizens’ online activities. Individuals from these countries sometimes suffer serious repercussions that vary from fines to jail time based purely on their online habits. Luxembourg radically opposes this type of censorship and does not monitor it’s residents’ online activity.
Luxembourg also has harsh laws in regards to the mishandling of sensitive/private data of its residents. The General Data Protection Act (GDPR) is the world’s most comprehensive and strict set of rules related to private data security. It was put in place on May 25th, 2018, across all EU member states. Therefore, Luxembourg is part of a small list of countries that enforce the highest standards of data protection in the world. An example of such online law enforcement is the fine given by the French government (France is part of the EU and one of Luxembourg’s neighboring countries). The French data protection authority (CNIL) has sanctioned Google with a record fine of EUR 50 million for GDPR violations.
People in Luxembourg can rest assured regarding their safety online. This country (and it’s neighbors) will go above and beyond to make sure that private data remains private. Any violations are held to the most severe consequences.
Public safety in Luxembourg is taken very seriously. Regardless of the low levels of criminality, public surveillance and law enforcement are present and available at any given moment. If you and your family are considering moving to Luxembourg, you can rest assured that the safety of your family will be the last of your concerns. After all this the safest country for ex-pats in the world. This tiny country defines the concept of living with total peace of mind, a rare luxury that a small percentage of the Earth’s population can enjoy.
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