The Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) has announced an investigation into potential corruption risks within the Federal Police. The announcement follows the results of a survey that suggested that a significant number of police officers have encountered or witnessed corrupt behaviour.
Interior Minister orders investigation into risk of corruption within the Federal Police Service
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Speaking on Wednesday morning Mr Quintin said that “I will never accept that the image of our police force is tarnished. That is why I have instructed the Federal Police Service to launch an independent, in-depth investigation. This investigation must be carried out as soon as possible.”
The announcement follows media reports last weekend that stated that 1 in 3 federal police officers had encountered or witnessed corruption. The figures came from an internal survey conducted by the Federal Judicial Police in 2022. On Wednesday morning Mr Quintin sought to clarify the findings and stressed that they need to be put into context.
The Federal Police says that around 1,200 of the more than 4,300 officers that work for the Federal Judicial Police took part in the survey. This is a response rate of 27%. “Of these, approximately 33% indicated they had observed behaviour throughout their careers that could be considered risky. This by no means means that one in three officers has personally encountered corruption”, the Interior Minister said.
Zero tolerance
However, Mr Quintin stresses that the findings of the survey should not be downplayed. Based on the outcome of the investigation, “appropriate measures” will be taken.
The importance of maintaining public trust in law enforcement is of the essence “This does not mean that the fight against corruption is being abandoned, on the contary. (...) The public must be able to rely on the police anytime, anywhere”.