Federal police reinforcements called in to tackle Brussels-Midi safety

Brussels-Midi police zone has called in federal reinforcements in response to increasing drug violence in the area around Midi station.

This reserve unit, which is normally only deployed in national disasters and urgent security crises, has been active in the Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Forest neighbourhoods since this week, Bruzz reports.

The deployment of federal officers follows an alarming rise in shootings in Brussels, chief of police Jurgen De Landsheer said.

There have been 74 shooting incidents this year, up from 61 incidents in 2023 and 46 in 2022. These are mainly related to the ongoing fight between rival drug gangs.

“We greatly appreciate the federal help, especially since our zone has a 20% personnel shortage, despite all recruitment efforts,” De Landsheer told Het Nieuwsblad.

“I’m curious to see if the deployment will really give results. I am realistic: we cannot eradicate the drug problem, the market is just there. But we can reduce the nuisance and make the streets safer. The situation is not hopeless.”

The federal reinforcement is deployed in three teams of two officers per shift, with some variation.

“It's an average of 10 to 15 officers per day,” explained Sarah Frederickx, spokesperson for the Brussels-Midi police zone.

“If there are other things going on, of course they go there, because that is their primary task. So there is no 100% certainty that they will always be there.”

The operation in Brussels is exceptional, as the federal reserve is rarely called in for regular police work. The last time it happened was in the port of Antwerp, where the unit also assisted in the fight against drug crime.

The deployment of the reserve unit has drawn criticism in the past, as it may affect its availability for emergencies such as disasters.

“These people can always be recalled, so if there’s an urgent assignment for the federal reserve, they will be deployed on that,” the federal police spokesperson assured.

The deployment will be evaluated at the end of the month to determine its effectiveness.