Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper): On New Year’s Eve 2024, Brussels had serious problems with youth violence, leading to 206 arrests. Police Chief Michel Goovaerts is in charge of a new safety plan called PolBru. A fireworks ban is in place until March 3, 2025, but many ignored it last year.
Every year on New Year’s Eve, Brussels has a lot of problems with young people causing trouble. They throw firecrackers at the police, set cars on fire, and have fights with fireworks. Last year, over 200 people were arrested in Brussels and about sixty in Antwerp. To deal with this, Brussels is thinking about new rules, like putting known troublemakers under house arrest. The mayor of Anderlecht, Fabrice Cumps, wants to ensure that kids under sixteen from the Kuregem area stay indoors after 7 p.m.
How will Brussels ensure safety on New Year’s Eve amid fireworks and curfews?
To ensure a safe New Year’s Eve in Brussels, the police are setting up a joint command led by the Brussels-Capital Ixelles police, known as PolBru. Chief Michel Goovaerts will be in charge, managing everything from a crisis centre along with federal police. All emergency services, like police and firefighters, will be ready to keep the night organized and secure. A spokesperson for PolBru stated that police will be highly visible to protect everyone during the celebrations.
Brussels police are getting ready for New Year’s celebrations again after problems in the past. They started working together in 2019 with a plan called PolBru to help manage big events. Each police zone still takes care of its area, but they share information to work better as a team. There’s a new ban on fireworks, like rockets and firecrackers, until March 3, 2025. It’s unclear if people will follow this rule since many didn’t last year. Fireworks injured some workers during the celebrations.
