Brussels parliament debates proposed police reforms

The Brussels parliament's home affairs committee has been discussing a draft paper on violence committed by and against the police, which includes, among other things, a call for clearer regulation on the use of bodycams.

The hearings in the parliament were primarily designed to provide a better insight into what is going wrong between the police and citizens of some neighbourhoods.

In recent months there have been several incidents of violence, carried out by the police as well as against them. For example, 19-year-old Adil died after a police chase in Anderlecht. On the other side of the situation, police officers as well as the fire brigade came under attack several times during the summer when riots broke out in some Brussels neighbourhoods. The tension continues to mount in areas across the city. At the end of last week, police patrols were pelted by missiles in the Marolles.

In order to see how trust between the police and the citizens can be restored, the home affairs committee has spoken to many of those involved in recent weeks. For example, VUB criminologist Sarah Van Praet came to explain her research on the police, youth associations and young people were engaged in discussions, as were representatives of the police unions, and also Police Chief Michel Goovaerts of PolBru (Brussels Police) and Mayor Vincent De Wolf of Etterbeek.

On Monday, the committee discussed a first draft resolution that member of parliament Els Rochette formulated based on all the testimonies and recommendations collected. The committee was given two weeks to formulate their comments and possible amendments to the paper.

The preliminary text deals with several recommendations that have already been discussed in previous hearings. It calls for more objective data on police activities, to strengthen and re-evaluate police units, to improve police training and to recruit more locally. The question of incorporating citizens' rights and duties into police training and establishing an independent trust cell where cases of aggression or unlawful violence can be reported are among the more sensitive recommendations the parliament has been asked to consider.

The division of responsibilities and the demand to include the use of bodycams may also prompt heated debate. The draft text also seems to be more aligned with reacting to criticism by, among others, youth organisations who accuse the police of racism and discrimination and less to do with reacting to the abuse and violence faced by the police, something that some opposition parties in the parliament drew specific attention to during the hearings.

Rapporteurs Els Rochette and her colleague Fadila Laanan will gather all the comments and proposed amendments of the other committee members together by next Monday. The aim is to reach a final resolution which will be voted on at the start of December.