Lommel (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The police zones of HANO, Kempenland, and Lommel (6 towns) will merge in early 2026, creating a stronger force of 300+ officers for 130000 inhabitants led by chiefs Martens, Verkoyen, and Voordeckers.
As VRT News reported, since 2008, the police zones of HANO (Hamont-Achel and Pelt), Kempenland (Peer, Leopoldsburg, Hechtel-Eksel), and Lommel, a province of Limburg, Belgium, have decided to merge. This decision came after the recent local elections, when the 6 mayors of the involved towns started talking again and successfully moved the discussions forward.
The mayors believe this agreement is a significant achievement for the entire North Limburg area. They think the merger will make local policing better by creating a larger, more capable zone that can better handle the growing complexity of security and safety issues.
According to officials, for Lommel, which was one of the few towns still operating on its own, the merger is a logical step, particularly considering the strong connections and cooperation already existing among the neighbouring towns.
“We see that there are many challenges coming our way in terms of security, such as cybercrime and drug problems,”
says Bob Nijs (CD&V), mayor of Lommel.
How will North Limburg’s new police merger improve safety and services by 2026?
According to mayors, the merger will create real improvements for people in the area. Each town will get a new local police office where residents can report issues, ask questions, or speak with their local officer. A new main police headquarters will be built in Lommel, next to the fire station, to serve as the central hub for the merged police operations.
This larger collaboration is expected to result in better use of resources, improved specialised services, and more efficient police work overall. The mayors emphasise that the main goal is to provide better, faster, and more reliable services to everyone, ensuring that people in every town will benefit from stronger and more effective policing.
“Citizens find safety important, and we must focus on that,”
says Marleen Kaufmann
(CD&V), mayor of Leopoldsburg.
Several towns, including Peer, Leopoldsburg, Hamont-Achel, Lommel, Hechtel-Eksel, and Pelt, are joining forces to fight crime in their border region. Police chief Marijke Martens says this merger will give them more people and expertise. Criminals often target smaller police areas because they have fewer resources.
Martens explains that merging is the best way to specialise. This helps the police serve citizens more effectively. He mentioned that the goal is to be more available and responsive to local needs. The merger aims to provide better and faster help to everyone in the area.
People may feel that we will be less accessible, but it is just the opposite
Marijke Martens, chief of police of Kempenland police zone
Police chief Rudi Verkoyen is making sure that even with the big police merger, each area will keep its special services. The local councils are now working out the details of the plan. The new police zone is expected to officially start in early 2026, giving them time to get everything organised.
Verkoyen says that the staff is generally happy about the merger, but they have a lot of questions about how it will affect their daily work. The leaders plan to answer these questions as soon as possible.
About 300 people are working in the police force, but they will need more people in the future to achieve everything they want. The main idea behind the merger is to create stronger, more specialised police services that focus on helping the people of North Limburg.
“The main police station will be ready later, but the intention is to start in 2026,”
says Bart Voordeckers, chief of police of the Lommel police zone.
“We are currently looking at how we are going to tackle that in practice.”
