Pictures posted on social media show youngsters attacking a police patrol in the Brussels inner city suburb of Sint-Gillis. The video posted on Twitter shows how the youngsters try to break the window of a police patrol car setting the police to flight. One officer was injured.
Police confirm a serious incident in Sint-Gillis on Sunday evening. “A patrol car was attacked after two drug dealers were detained during the course of the day” says local police chief De Landsheer. One officer was also injured during the arrests.
Police were also forced to intervene later in the evening to restore calm. Local police were supported by federal police officers. In all five people were arrested, though it’s not clear whether any of these were involved in the earlier attack on a police patrol vehicle.
Police are analysing pictures of the incident to establish who did what and who was responsible for injuring the officer. Police work paves the way for possible prosecutions.
Police have noticed an increase in violence towards them in recent weeks. In Sint-Gillis two police stations have been the subject of arson attacks. “In some respects the violence is good news because it means we are hurting the gangs” says de Landsheer. “Sadly this is having a big impact on the borough. It’s a small group. Some live in the borough. Others come from elsewhere. They try to increase their territory to deal drugs. We can’t accept that”.
