Watchdog investigates whether police could have prevented two Schaerbeek murders

Police watchdog Committee P will investigate whether two murders in Schaerbeek could have been avoided if police had acted sooner.

A victim and a neighbour are said to have raised the alarm beforehand, but received no response from the police.

The first case concerns the December 2025 murder of a man whose body was found severely mutilated in his home. Local residents had contacted the police several times the evening before the incident because they had heard a lot of noise, but police did not arrive at the scene until the following morning.

The second murder took place in April this year, when a 51-year-old man died after his 63-year-old neighbour is suspected of setting fire to his flat.

The woman and the man had been in dispute for a long time and the victim is said to have had several contacts with the police in the days leading up to the fatal fire.

On the day itself, he reportedly told officers that his neighbour had explicitly threatened to set fire to the hall of the apartment block.

The public prosecutor’s office confirmed that, in parallel with the ongoing judicial investigations into both deaths, an inquiry was also opened and entrusted to Committee P.

“To ensure the effectiveness and objectivity of these investigations, no further details will be provided,” said spokesperson Laura Demullier.

The Brussels-North police zone said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.

“We will ask the public prosecutor’s office for access to the file and enquire whether measures need to be taken,” spokesperson Katlien Breugelman said.

“We hope that this external investigation will enable us to identify what went well and what can be improved. To protect the ongoing investigation, we will not release any further information.”

Martin De Brabant (MR), deputy mayor of Schaerbeek, told Bruzz that he was aware of the two investigations.

“I am now letting each authority do its job,” De Brabant said.

“I take this seriously, but it is not for me to make statements at this stage. I do not have all the facts.”