Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Homeland Security, Étienne Schneider and Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch, today inaugurated the new €6.6 million National Shooting Centre in Reckenthal.

At the ceremony, speeches were given by Ministers Schneider and Bausch, as well as Director of the Police School, Marc Welter and Mayor of Strassen Commune, Gaston Greiveldinger, before guests were offered a tour of the new premises and a shooting demonstration by a member of the police force.

Luxembourg's first shooting field was originally installed by the Luxembourgish Army after World War II which later became under the control in 1967 when compulsory military service was abolished in the country. Renovations on the old structures began in 1999 and in January 2001 the National Shooting Centre of the Grand Ducal Police opened. The most recent renovations began in October 2012 in order to maintain the quality in police training and allow each member of the police force to receive three shooting trainings a year.

Recent structural developments have resulted in a new building measuring 83 metres by 16.90 metres, allowing ten shooters to practice at once from a maximum distance of 50 metres. Two entrances in the form of stairs and a ramp allow the passage of different types of vehicles and various forms of equipment that may be needed for training. The environment was also a considered factor in the construction of the building, which is encased in a green roof to minimise ecological and acoustic disruption.

The heating and ventilation of the building, provided by Thermolux and Wagner Building Systems, is dependent on thermal energy and its electricity, provided by Electricité Watry s.à.r.l, is generated by an external transformer with a rated power of 250 kVa. Emergency lighting was also an important factor in the development of the structure and is provided by autonomous units with batteries which ensure the continuation of the emergency lighting system for at least sixty minutes. This system allows, in the event of any dangerous situation, the evacuation of the premises, signalling of emergency exits and intervention of emergency services.

The new extension comprises a 53m by 14m shooting gallery which ends in a backstop made of rubber granulates, as well as an entrance hall, waiting room and a storage and filing space. Ten rows of targets in front of a steel-framed rubber-covered bullet trap allow multiple officers to train at once, whilst obstacles placed at various distances from these targets allow shooters to practice being out in the field. Training simulations will also be enhanced by a wide range of lighting options to improve or hinder visibility which are operated in the viewing gallery at the front of the shooting range.

 

Photos by Sarah Graham (3rd L-R: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Homeland Security, Étienne Schneider ; Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch ; Mayor of Strassen Commune, Gaston Greiveldinger)