A proposal by the French-speaking liberals of MR to deploy soldiers as soon as possible to tackle drug-related crime in Brussels has provoked mixed reactions. Jurgen De Landsheer, chief of police for the Brussels South police zone, hopes that soldiers will be able to take over security tasks from his officers so that they can focus on police work. Army union ACMP has reservations.
MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez has long advocated the deployment of soldiers on the streets of Brussels. Now, interior minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) has backed the proposal.
In several interviews this weekend, Quintin (MR) indicated that he wants to dispatch mixed patrols of soldiers and police officers to drug crime hotspots in Brussels as soon as possible. This is part of his “Plan for the Large Cities”.
The plan also includes a more extensive network of security cameras, for which the minister wants to allocate 20 million euros. Municipalities that do not have the money to buy or maintain cameras will receive support.
Backing from police chief
Jurgen De Landsheer, Chief of Police for the Brussels South zone thinks it is a ‘good idea to explore how different security services can help each other’. ‘We have been requesting support for some time now,’ he told VRT NEWS.
The police chief does not mention mixed patrols, as the MR politicians have. De Landsheer mainly hopes that the military will be able to take over certain security tasks from local police officers.
‘Local police must be able to focus on security in residential districts,’ explains De Landsheer. ‘We know the area and we need to be able to be there, but too often our staff are deployed elsewhere to do static guard duty.’
Army union ACMP less enthusiastic
The military union ACMP is less upbeat about deploying soldiers in the capital. Chairman Yves Huwart has a number of reservations. ‘This proposal has already been raised several times, but more preparatory work still needs to be done,’ he told the Belga press agency.