Brussels under the surveillance of 1,365 cameras

The number of security cameras in the Brussels-Capital Region is exploding, reports La Dernière Heure. There are 1,365 cameras installed across the Region, mainly in the city centre, but also in the city's poorer districts.

Since their introduction in 1990, surveillance cameras have become quite common in the capital, especially over the last five years. The police, local authorities and Brussels Mobility have all contributed to the increase, according to a survey by the Brussels Studies Institute, a team of researchers from three Brussels universities.

Brussels currently has a total of 1,365 cameras, not including the 1,800 cameras installed by local transport operator STIB. The police alone have boosted the number of cameras in the city from 192 to 796 over the past decade.

The cameras are very unevenly distributed across the Region, the survey shows. While municipalities like Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort do not have a single security camera, there are 59 in Schaerbeek, 75 in Molenbeek and 217 in Brussels-City. Busy areas such as Matongé, Saint-Josse and Anneessens are under especially intense surveillance.

"Surveillance is high in the city centre," co-author of the study Corentin Debailleul told Bruzz. "There's a camera at just about every street corner. It serves as a way to reassure tourists, and to polish up Brussels' image.”

An additional 180 cameras are to be installed in the near future, especially in the police zone Brussels South.