Officers back merger of Brussels police zones
Officers in Brussels are not opposed to a merger of the six police zones in the capital, provided that the method used to determine the allocation of funding is adjusted. In an anonymous letter sent to Belga, they also criticise “anomalies and even abuse” that they observe in their daily work.
The planned merger of police zones aims to address the long-standing fragmentation of policing in Brussels, an issue that has taken on added urgency amid drug-related violence that crosses municipal boundaries.
The centralised command would make operational decisions alongside the judiciary and a police board composed of the region’s 19 mayors and the minister president. Some mayors have pushed back, warning that the merger could weaken community policing.
The authors of the letter say that a review of the standard for determining resource allocation, established in the 1990s, could allow them to expand their capacity for action while maintaining local services that they believe should not be centralised, such as patrols and community work.
“These tasks require detailed knowledge of the area and a direct link with local residents, which only a decentralised structure can provide,” they say.
Better efficiency
The proposal “undeniably offers an opportunity to improve the efficiency of police work” and would allow better exchange of information, personnel and equipment between zones, they say. This would allow certain problem areas to benefit from the experience of other areas with better resources and improve efficiency.
It could also bring to light abuses of the police for political or personal purposes. In some areas, they allege, mayors ask officers to perform tasks that have nothing to do with their public safety duties, such as driving them to appointments in a police vehicle.
In addition, they complain about practices such as reducing the number of crime reports in order to maintain the area’s statistics, especially in the run-up to elections.
N-VA MP Mathias Vanden Borre has called for an independent investigation into the allegations of political misuse of police resources.
"This confirms what we have been saying for years: the fragmentation of the Brussels police force is hindering an effective approach to crime," he said. "There is an urgent need for a different approach, more structure and transparency."
Illustration © PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
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