The pirate ship in Luxembourg City / © David Laurent
According to Mayor of Luxembourg City Lydie Polfer, the drug scene in the capital has moved to the old town, particularly around the children’s pirate ship playground. Our colleagues investigated.
The area around Hamilius and the pirate ship playground are becoming the new drug hotspots, Polfer said in an interview with RTL on Tuesday morning, with needles found regularly in an area where kids play.
The City intends to react, said the DP politician. The mediation service à vos côtés, already active in Bonnevoie and Gare, will visit the area, and a private security firm will likely be employed to patrol.
Our colleagues went to inspect the area to verify the mayor’s pronouncements. They did not see any needles, though occasional baggies and pill packaging did point towards drugs being used here.
A drug problem as described by the mayor was not immediately obvious, though the City’s cleaning services were working in the park and may have already cleared the area.
A passerby confirmed that a few weeks ago, there was indeed an increased presence of drug users around the pirate ship, who left needles and other paraphernalia. But with the weather improving and children and families returning to the park, this has changed.
Another park regular said that dealers and users could be found further north in the park, not necessarily around the pirate ship.
After a single visit made during the day, after cleaning teams had done their job, it is hard to draw any definitive conclusions. The same goes for the area around Hamilius, where our reporters did not see any obvious users or dealers.
Do you know of any experiences you’ve had with drug users at Hamilius or the pirate ship? Let us know below.