FLASH
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Belgian Minister of Security and Interior, Bernard Quintin, plans to deploy soldiers on the streets of Brussels to combat rising drug-related crime.
"The army must protect the integrity of the territory. Usually, soldiers do this at our borders or far beyond them. But the fight against drug crime also falls under the protection of our territory," Quintin told De Standardaard in an interview published on Saturday.
The Belgian capital has been hit by a wave of drug-related crime and shootings. Last month, Brussels prosecutor Julien Moinil condemned the escalation of violence, counting 57 shootings this year, 20 of which occurred over the summer.
The prosecutor, under police protection after threats from traffickers, had previously requested 10 million euros to improve security in Brussels, but said authorities were not giving him the resources he needed. He warned that innocent citizens were at risk of being drawn into the growing violence. “Anyone in Brussels could be hit by a bullet,” the prosecutor warned.
On the eve of budget negotiations, Belgium's Justice Minister, Annelies Verlinden, is asking for an additional 1 billion euros for her department.
Quintin, a Brussels resident, has called the security situation in his hometown "catastrophic," criticizing the brazen stance of traffickers in the city.
Under the new plan, Quintin told De Standardaard, soldiers would operate in mixed teams, patrolling alongside police. Their operations would be focused around metro stations and certain neighborhoods, such as Peterbos in the Anderlecht municipality in southwest Brussels.
The political decision to deploy soldiers has already been made, but the details still need to be clarified, Quintin said. He is pushing for implementation "as soon as possible."
The legal framework to deploy soldiers to the streets is ready and the draft will soon be sent to the Council of Ministers, Defense Minister Theo Francken confirmed on Saturday. "Our capital, Brussels, is a disaster in terms of security. We must take control again," Francken wrote.
The authorities' efforts to combat drug crime in Brussels come against a backdrop of prolonged political paralysis in the capital, as the Brussels region has so far failed to form a government after elections in June 2024.
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