Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Police officers from the Brussels Midi security zone covering Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, and Forest are fighting the new security policy they believe led to recent shootings because it disbanded neighborhood patrolling units.
The police officers from Brussels Midi police zone, which includes Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, and Forest regions, oppose the current security framework because they believe specialised neighborhood brigades led to increased shooting activity.
Before the separation of Koban units, the police zone maintained civil police teams as part of a Japanese community policing system that handled street crime and violent theft offenses.
Local municipalities decided to fund these units but dissolved them when COVID-19 concluded in 2021 and 2022 because of excessive expenses. According to police reports, the number of shootings doubled in 2024 and nearly tripled in 2025 within these particular districts where specialised teams used to operate.
The crime prevention approach of the Brussels Midi police zone depended on Koban brigades until pandemic budget changes forced their disbandment. Budget restrictions led to the disbandment of these teams, which drew inspiration from Japan’s Koban system, although they had strong relationships with local authorities. Official law enforcement data reveals that after the Koban units ended their operations, the number of shootings rose dramatically, as Anderlecht experienced 43 shooting incidents during the time period from January through mid-March 2024.
The Midi zone does not possess specialised units that function like those in other Brussels districts, according to the officers’ perspective.
Drug traffickers have increased their operations following the elimination of these brigades, which resulted in higher drug prices and a more violent relationship between gangs, according to reports. The authorities have issued a formal letter requesting the restoration of neighborhood teams to control the increasing violence.
What is the background behind the rise in shootings in Brussels’ Midi Zone?
Brussels Midi police zone, which is responsible for Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Forest, has witnessed escalating violence after the termination of its neighborhood security units called Koban between 2021 and 2022. The specialised units have operated since the early 2000s as street-level drug trafficking and violent crime-fighting units based on Japan’s community policing model.
The local municipalities cut funding to dissolve these units after COVID-19 ended. Police statistics show that shootings in Brussels reached 50% in these three communes in 2024 but increased to 70% in 2025. Anderlecht alone recorded 43 shootings in the first three months of 2024. Police officials link the mounting violence to the lack of organised groups targeting criminal organisations, which led drug operations to multiply and trigger more gang warfare.
Koban units disrupted trafficking paths, which minimised both drug prices and violent numbers in their operational areas. The departure of Koban units coincides with increased armed conflicts, which predominantly affect high-crime areas, including Cureghem (Anderlecht) and Porte de Hal (Saint-Gilles).
The security strategy in Brussels operates without localised crime-fighting units, which other areas in the city possess, leading to security concerns. The growing public safety concerns compel authorities to review the previous decision about disbanding anti-riot police units.
