Brussels (Brussels Morning) – In August 2023, over 50 Committees representing 30,000 Brussels residents highlighted rising insecurity and poverty proposing comprehensive reforms in policing justice, social services and public cleanliness to improve the city’s quality of life.
August 2023 saw a group of 40 Committees in Brussels raising concerns about rising insecurity and poverty levels in the city. They highlighted these issues in a public warning urging for immediate interventions. Meetings with the Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort were held but were considered inadequate by the Committees who seek more impactful solutions to address the root causes of the problems. The community’s dissatisfaction reflects a widespread sense of urgency for more effective policies to enhance the city’s quality of life.
Can Brussels Committees’ New Survey and Solutions Address Rising Insecurity and Poverty?
In response to the government’s inadequate actions the coalition of over 50 Committees in Brussels representing about 30,000 residents decided to take a new approach. They conducted an extensive citizen survey to gain a deeper understanding of the city’s issues. The survey involved engaging with the community directly to collect data on security economic challenges and social services.
The Committees also consulted various key stakeholders including Brussels Mayors the National Drugs Commissioner, Federal and Regional Ministers, political parties and judicial leaders. This collaborative effort aimed to provide a thorough diagnosis of the problems in Brussels combining community insights with expert opinions.
The Committees came up with a bunch of ideas to tackle issues like violence drug use, homelessness, poverty and cleanliness in Brussels. One big problem they highlighted is that many asylum seekers don’t get the help they need and end up on the streets. The Committees suggest spreading support across 3 registration points to ease this burden.
To make the region safer the Committees propose having more local police in neighborhoods and a central police coordinator. They also suggest improving working conditions and offering bonuses to address the shortage of about 820 police officers. Event organizers should take on more security responsibilities to reduce the workload on the police force.
The Committees in Brussels also want to fix issues in the justice system to avoid shortages and delays. They believe that salaries at the FPS Justice should be competitive to attract more staff. They suggest relaxing strict language requirements and using fines to speed up legal processes.
Will Brussels Committees’ Proposals for Safety, Justice and Cleanliness Improve the City?
To improve public cleanliness the Committees want to simplify the system by reducing the number of operators. They also suggest bringing back fixed garbage bins and emptying them less often. They think the current system of employees leaving once their tasks are done leads to sloppy work and should be changed. Recently they recommend giving the responsibility for maintaining regional roads to municipalities that do a better job.
The people in Brussels hope the new government will consider their ideas even though some may be hard to achieve. Many of the proposals need action at European and federal levels and Brussels doesn’t have much money for new projects. The 40 Committees also suggest things like faster digitalization in the legal system and better police cooperation.
The Committees want their report to be a message to the upcoming politicians. They believe the current government should do more to solve problems even with limited powers. Residents are tired of the complicated decision-making process and want Brussels to be more independent. They aim to not just advise but also ensure good governance in the future.Â
