The SNPGL, which represents 96% of all police personnel, said that the ministry consulted it too late and then did not incorporate any of its recommendations in the draft law.

The draft, which is set to reform disciplinary procedures within the police, irks the trade union, according to Le Quotidien and Tageblatt.

It foresees that all disciplinary procedures must be introduced by the director general of the police, which implicitly gives him quasi-immunity. The same applies to the head of the general inspectorate of the police (IGP).

Another issue is the “transfer procedure” which foresees that a police officer whose staying at his work place is incompatible with the interest of the service is “illegal” and “should be removed from the draft law”, according to Pascal Ricquier, the head of the trade union. This means that the concerned officer will be transferred to another unit during a procedure. The trade union considered this already a punishment.

Furthermore, the composition of the disciplinary council is not neutral, the SNPGL argued.