It is illegal for people in Luxembourg to carry or use pepper spray, mace or other irritant gases as well as tasers, although these are often considered as being weapons for self-defence purposes.

In Germany, for example, pepper spray can be bought, carried and used but only as an animal repellent. If used in a self-defence scenario, it is up to law enforcement or a judge to decide whether the situation warranted its use.

The petition launched on Friday said such non-lethal weapons shouldn’t be banned, arguing that there had been an increase in crime in the grand duchy.

A police union earlier in the week had said there was a “palpable feeling of insecurity among the population.” The fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man in Bonnevoie on 26 January showed the gravity of the situation, it said.

Interior security minister Henri Kox responded, saying the claims discredited the work done by police in the area. Around 120 police officers patrol Luxembourg City every day, he said, with an average of 13 patrols in the area around the train station.

The government is also in the process of hiring more than 600 officers in a recruitment drive until 2023.

The City of Luxembourg previously hired a private security firm to help secure areas around the train station, although these do not have the same rights and obligations as police officers.

The petition is open for signature on the Chamber of Deputies’ new petitiounen.lu website until 24 March.

Illegal weapons in Luxembourg include firearms as well as air and gas weapons, which can only be owned with a licence. It is also illegal to carry cutting and stabbing weapons such as switchblade and folding knives, double edged knives, daggers, javelins, bayonets, swords, and throwing knives and stars.

Brass knuckles, clubs, cudgels, as well as nunchaku and other impact weapons are also considered illegal. Clubs such as baseball or cricket bats are considered a weapon when used to threaten or harm another person.