Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal MR) has provided greater detail with regard to the government’s plans to have soldiers support the police. Speaking on VRT TV on Sunday the minister made it clear he is eager to deploy a total of 90 soldiers on the streets of Antwerp and Brussels.
Forty-five soldiers would be responsible for security in the Jewish quarter of Antwerp. The other half would go to Brussels to work with the railways police in rail and metro stations.
Quintin had previously promised that these soldiers would be deployed on the streets before the end of last year. However, within the government coalition, the implementation has been linked to a second issue: Flemish Christian democrat CD&V will only agree to soldiers on the streets once there is also consensus on how to tackle Belgian prison overcrowding.
It is unclear when a deal on solving prison overcrowding can be struck. ‘I am not going to put forward any more timings. It has to happen as soon as possible. The dossier is ready,’ says minister Quintin. According to the interior minister, it will take two weeks for the soldiers to start patrolling in Antwerp and Brussels once a decision has been taken.