400 fines for drinking alcohol in centre of Brussels

Police in the Brussels-Ixelles area issued 432 fines between October 2023 and July 2024 for drinking alcohol in public spaces, mainly in the city centre, new figures reveal.

The number represents an increase of 50% over the course of a year, RTBF reports, though this is attributed to a stronger crackdown by police rather than an increase in rule-breakers.

The area around the Fish Market, the Quais district, the Marché aux Porcs and the Square Marguerite Duras were the site of around 125 of the total offences, according to a report drawn up by the municipal services, the police zone and the Bravvo prevention charity.

Drinking alcohol in public spaces in the city centre has been banned since the beginning of 2020 in an effort to curb public nuisance issues such as shouting, fighting, littering, damage and vomiting. Fines are €75 with a maximum of €500 for repeat offences.

“With the exception of August 2023, the last six months represent the period when the police have issued the most fines on the basis of the zoned by-law, which bears witness to police action (proactive policing and priority police focus) and greater knowledge of the places where problem drinking situations persist,” the report reads.

An examination of the data confirms “a shift over the last four years towards the Marché aux Porcs (and more broadly the Quais district). As in the previous year, the four streets with the most fines are concentrated in this area, with a core around the Marché aux Porcs, around the Quai du Commerce area, behind the KVS, Quais aux Foins and Pierre de Taille.”

One business owner in the area told RTBF that she has seen the problem gradually move to her neighbourhood.

“We've seen a shift in the number of people who used to drink during the day from the pedestrian area to our premises – people who start drinking early in the morning,” she said.

“At the initiative of the Dansaert neighbourhood and the shopkeepers, we asked the local authorities to issue tickets to people who were drinking, but only excessively.

"In other words, the police have to distinguish between a group of young people having an aperitif on the edge of our little pool here in Sainte-Catherine and Quai aux Briques, a quiet crowd who don't cause any trouble, and a bunch of people who shout, who are violent, who are on drugs and alcohol.”

The business owner said that the police crackdown seems to be working: “Penalising this type of behaviour means that people who drink excessively don't come into the neighbourhood as much.

"In my opinion, when the police have a strong presence, we really see an evolution. There may still be one or two individuals, but they're not the gangs they were a year or two ago. That's very reassuring. We're counting on the police to continue this work."

The 2020 municipal decree supplements a 1939 decree on drunkenness in public places and is in effect until 6 October.

At the city council this Monday, the majority will propose extending it for another year, while not expanding the number of districts to which it applies.