Brussels' six police zones could merge by 2027

A plan to merge Brussels' six local police zones into a single unit is gathering pace and could be operational by January 2027.

The plan, which interior minister Bernard Quintin presented to Brussels' 19 mayors last week, would bring the capital's 7,700 police officers together under a single police chief.

It was one of the commitments in the Arizona federal government declaration earlier this year. Quintin said a draft bill was ready, pending approval from the Council of Misters, and could be debated in parliament before the summer recess.

Across Belgium, the federal government wants to reduce the number of local police zones from 178 to about 40 by the end of the legislature.

Under the plans, which have the approval of Belgian prime minister Bart de Wever, the province of Walloon Brabant, for example, could merge 27 separate police zones into just one.

Quintin argues that merging six Brussels police zones into one would improve efficiency and security and that the current set-up of small local units makes it difficult to deal with the bigger picture of crime in the capital.

"Recent events have shown us this," he said. "During the shootings at Clemenceau, the Midi police zone found itself helpless in the face of the scale of the phenomenon. When there is a shooting in Anderlecht, it affects the whole city."

The mayors of some of Brussels' municipalities, who also act as head of their local police zone, have expressed concern about losing control of policing in their neighbourhood.

Quintin said mayors would "obviously retain a central role" in the new set-up, with all 19 of Brussels' mayors sitting on the Brussels police council, alongside the region's minister-president, and having a say on the distribution of officers across the region. Mayors will also have the final say on authorising demonstrations and other events on their territory.

He added that quotas for the minimum number of local police officers per municipality would be enforced and local police stations would remain open.

Merging six police zones into one would also allow savings in back-office functions such as communications, human resources and IT, freeing up resources for on-the-ground policing, Quintin added.

"The single police zone can be in place one year after the text is passed in the federal parliament," he added. "We are aiming for the text to be adopted quickly - this year. We are therefore aiming for its creation in 2026 and for it to be fully operational in 2027."

With one chief of police for the whole Brussels region, the goal is that in the event of a major incident in one area, officers from elsewhere in Brussels will be able to provide reinforcements more easily.

Under the proposals, Brussels' metro network will also have its own dedicated police unit. Security in metro stations is currently the responsibility of the federal police, which complicates coordination with local police zones above-ground.

Brussels state secretary Ans Persoons (Vooruit) backed the merger. "In the fight against drug violence, violence against women or petty crime, our region needs more than ever an efficient reform of police policy, but certainly also more investment and solidarity between municipalities," she said.

Carlo Medo, chairman of the NSPV police trade union, said: "We have not yet been heard and we have not even received an invitation for a meeting. Such a merger is also a personnel issue, and unions should have a say in this."

He added: "We have already experienced some police zone mergers in Flanders and they have rarely led to extra officers on the streets."

A group of Brussels police officers, in an anonymous open letter to the press this week, said they supported the merger, which they said was "an opportunity to improve the efficiency of police work".

They said: "Currently, when a police officer needs to consult a report issued in another zone, they must request it from their colleagues and wait. A single, centralised computer system would make it possible to consult these reports directly, thus improving the responsiveness and smooth running of investigations."