8,000 cases of violence against police officers a year in Belgium

In 2014 and 2015, about 8,000 cases of violence were registered against police officers in Belgium, writes La Libre Belgique. The agents say they are increasingly faced with violent behaviour, and that the violence is more and more brutal.

Of the 8,000 registered cases of violence over the last two years, only 1,200 led to prosecution in court. Only about 300 assailants served a sentence, says Vincent Gilles, president of the police union SLFP-VSOA.

According to Gilles, there is a taboo around the effect that the violence may have on police officers, with an average of 66 police officers committing suicide every year in the country. About a dozen deaths have been directly linked to violence against a police officer.