A ‘Gold Commander’ is to be appointed in Brussels with immediate effect to coordinate the six police districts of the Brussels capital region, the mayors of Brussels have decided. Michel Goovaerts, Chief Constable of the Brussels-Capital Elsene police district, will take on this role. At the same time, interior minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal MR) is deploying 50 additional police officers.
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Brussels appoints ‘Gold Commander’ to coordinate fight against drug-related violence
Colin Clapson
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In addition to the appointment of a ‘Gold Commander’, the police presence in the most troubled neighbourhoods of the capital is being stepped up, particularly in the evenings and at night. Detectives are also being given the necessary resources to investigate the violence and dismantle criminal networks.
“The violence is linked to conflicts between criminal networks involved in drug trafficking. This is unacceptable and calls for an immediate and visible response on the ground,” says Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.
Unified command
Various police services, such as the K9 units (dog teams), the special units and the rapid response units, will henceforth operate under the unified command structure. “The aim is clear: to make better use of these resources, particularly in the evenings and at night,” says Close.
By October, all dispatching activity for the Brussels police zones is to be brought under one roof, that of the regional security body Safe.brussels. In addition, the ARGOS service, which is responsible for analysing CCTV footage and number plate recognition, will also be strengthened.
‘Gold Commanders’ have earlier been deployed on New Year’s Eve and other occasions. Brussels is usually turbulent on that night, a unified command is established to ensure the festivities run smoothly.
Michel Goovaerts, Chief of Police for the Brussels-Capital Elsene police zone, took on that role during previous New Year’s Eves. He will do so again now. For the time being, he believes it is still too early to comment, he told VRT NEWS.
Interior minister Bernard Quintin has also announced additional resources to tackle drug-related violence in the capital. He is deploying 50 extra federal police officers, and the Special Units Directorate (DSU) is also being reinforced with special police support teams. The federal judicial police in Brussels are also set to receive permanent reinforcements.
Quintin has described the situation as a “national emergency” and wants the issue to be placed on the agenda of the National Security Council.
“The fact that a police station has come under fire shows just how serious the situation is. This new dimension of violence, involving military grade weapons of war, requires us to deploy all necessary resources. The fight against organised crime is a shared responsibility and must be an absolute priority,” said the minister.
“To guarantee the safety of our citizens, extra effort is required. If we do not act jointly and decisively today, we will continue to lag behind events. That is why we are significantly stepping up the federal presence on the ground, because if Anderlecht loses, Brussels loses. And if Brussels loses, the whole of Belgium loses.”
Deployment of military personnel and registration of e-scooters
In addition, the minister proposes that work continue at federal level on a number of specific measures. These include creating more places in secure centres for undocumented migrants, the compulsory registration of e-scooters, sufficient detention capacity, a firm approach to illegal residence and return, sufficient places in secure youth detention centres, and the expansion of the deployment of military personnel.
Since April this year, 45 military personnel have been patrolling alongside police officers at metro and train stations in Brussels.
However, Quintin believes that local authorities must also strengthen their approach to organised crime. He refers, for example, to administrative enforcement measures such as bans on assembly or entry to certain areas.
In this way, mayors can also take further action against rogue businesses linked to organised crime. Quintin also calls for local and regional authorities to better coordinate their efforts, with direct coordination between the various operations and services at the level of the Brussels Region.
Finally, according to the minister, a permanent command centre must be established to enable the monitoring of incidents linked to drug-related violence and organised crime 24 hours a day and to respond swiftly.