Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The drug war running across Brussels appears to be regulated by criminal organisations based within prison systems. The newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad, presented this information. As reported to our editors, Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) recognised the issue. Minister Verlinden has plans to introduce specific measures as part of her response.
Reports from Het Nieuwsblad suggest criminals within prisons execute commands that drive the ongoing drug conflict in Brussels. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) has recognised the problem while working on specific solutions to resolve it. Although prisons utilise specialised blocking devices for mobile devices and ICT-sniffing dogs to search for forbidden technology.
“There have been attempts in the past,”
Says Verlinden.
“But then the jammers also disrupted the broader communication of emergency and security services. Now there is a pilot project underway with smaller jammers that can very specifically block the communication of certain mobile phones or in certain cells. We want to roll out that project in several prisons in order to make those devices unusable.”
Verlinden is also thinking about sniffer dogs that can track down ICT equipment.
“The federal police already have such dogs, but we want to train more of them so that we can also use them in prisons. That will take some time.”
“That means that they are isolated or can be moved to another prison. That way we can ensure that their activities are definitely interrupted.”
What is the extent of prison-based criminal activity in Belgium?
Criminals who use mobile phones for illegal activities from prison cells continue to persist as a distinct challenge throughout Belgium. Prison systems throughout Belgium confiscate more than 1,000 mobile phones every year, based on 2022 data from the Belgian Ministry of Justice. The drug war in Brussels has reached new heights because authorities have established links between an important segment of organised crime and inmates who operate inside prisons.
Prison-related drug crimes dominated 60% of reported offences in the city, according to research conducted in 2021. Earlier attempts at blocking signals through technology implementation failed to stop contraband communications because they disrupted emergency services and proved ineffective.
A targeted jammer pilot program exists to overcome previous operational difficulties. Belgium’s prison system suffers from severe overcrowding, which creates a difficult situation by making it more challenging to monitor and control unlawful activities.
