Sharp drop in Brussels public transport attacks

The number of assaults - both physical and verbal  - on the Stib network has dropped sharply in the first half of 2013, Brusselnieuws reports. The number of cases of verbal abuse towards Stib personnel fell by nearly a quarter compared with the first half of 2012, while the number of physical attacks is down by a third. The company sees several possible explanations for this trend. "We received an extra 45 security agents following the death of supervisor Iliaz Tahiraj, and the police increased their presence on the network," says spokeswoman An Van Hamme. "Additional staff made a real difference. In addition, ticket gates were installed in metro stations and we also conducted awareness campaigns," she adds.