Gun crime, much of which drug-related, is a growing issue in the capital. There have been 57 shootings in Brussels so far this year, including 20 since the start of summer. At a press conference on Tuesday morning Brussels’ chief prosecutor Julien Moinil addressed the issue of violent crime in Brussels and reiterated his call from additional resources.
Brussels’ chief prosecutor reiterates call for extra resources to tackle crime in the capital
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Mr Moinil said that 6,211 adult suspects and 874 minors have been arraigned by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office so far this year. This is a threefold increase on the same period last year. Among them are 1,250 suspected drug dealers.
Addressing the wave of gun crime and other violent crime in the capital, Mr Moinil said that efforts are under way to track down and arrest those responsible. The chief prosecutor pointed out that the clear-up rate for murder cases in Brussels remains very high so “People should not think that the Justice Department isn’t doing its job. However, the consequences of 10 or 15 years of lax policies are not something that can be fixed in 6 months”.
Additional resources needed
Mr Moinil reiterated his call for additional resources to enable the police and the public prosecutor’s office to more effectively combat drug trafficking and drug-related violence. “As police and public prosecutors, we are working very hard to tackle this issue effectively. However, several factors are holding us back in our work”.
Although the prosecutor’s office has gained some extra magistrates, Mr Moinil notes that the Brussels Federal Judicial Police continues to face major staff shortages.
Mr Moinil called for a comprehensive health policy to address the issue of drug abuse in the capital. Security in prisons must also be tightened so that leaders of criminal organisations can no longer continue to manage their networks from behind bars.
Foreign nationals that are living here illegally and are arrested for criminal offences should be deported much more quickly, the Brussels chief prosecutor said.