Brussels mayors against merger of police zones

The mayors of all 19 of Brussels' communes have reiterated their opposition to a merger of Brussels' six police zones into one single unit.

The consensus - announced by four representatives from the mayors' committee – bridges multiple political parties: Philippe Close (PS), Vincent De Wolf (MR), Benoît Cerexhe (Les Engagés), and Olivier Maingain (ex-DéFI).

The four representatives explained the reasons for the decision at a press conference, mainly citing operational concerns.

In particular, they said there was already a single command system which has proved its worth when events go beyond the boundaries of a single police zone.

The zones have therefore been able to work together to develop expertise in the management of major events, the representatives said, while also playing a leading role in terms of proximity to citizens.

Brussels mayors also noted that the capital's police areas were facing chronic underfunding - estimated at €500 million for the current legislature - and that refinancing the federal police, particularly in the face of major crime linked to drug trafficking, is critical for avoiding an exacerbation of the phenomenon of police zones being forced to compensate for funding gaps.

A recent study by the University of Ghent assessed the situation and also concluded that a merger would not improve the current situation.

The debate regarding a police zone merger was reignited recently by a revelation of extracts from a memo intended as a starting point for discussions between Dutch-speaking negotiators with a view to forming a Brussels government.

Among other areas, the note mentioned the possibility of merging the police zones, the CPAS social support organisations - and even the communes themselves.