Ixelles (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On January 8th, 2025, extensive police action was conducted in the Matonge area in Ixelles, responding particularly to drug and weapon trafficking. This was a measure taken together with police agencies to fight against charged crimes in the area.
The operation involved several police contingents and led to several officers arresting people as police tried to break operational structures they believed were involved in peddling banned products and guns. The police have said that this operation is going to improve the safety of the citizens and is a response to the increased rates of incidents that are now being reported in the cities.
In an operation that was conducted on 8th January 2025, Brussels police arrested many people in the Matonge region in the crackdown on rules against drug and weapon business. This is because the initiative is seeking to improve general security and prevent the scourge of related crimes in the region. The exercise, which started early in the morning and continued till evening, involved police searching places believed to be known to harbour incidents. Police arrested the officers and recovered a large portion of drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, as well as guns suspected to be used by criminal groups in that region. The researchers interviewed the residents of Matonge on the same day. They noted that they saw armed police officers and police cars within the area, and they had perceptions that were either positive or negative. Several people were arrested during the operation, but the authorities have not updated the detainees’ number of arrests and identities. The police in Brussels were confident that, as the authorities in the city, their work was focused on reducing drug-related crime and protecting the people. The operation in Matonge is part of a broader repression plan in relation to violence linked to the drug trade and prevention of the fundamental factors behind the emergence of criminal organisations. Officials also said they understand that actions by police in the city are preventive measures that require togetherness and support from well-wishers to eliminate monsters in our society.
Ongoing challenges in urban crime prevention
Brussels police operation at Matonge targeting drug and weapon traffickers on January 8, 2025, led to arrests and huge hauls. This is good for the public and specifically for the fight against organised crime in the area in question. The recent incident involving the police in the Matonge area shows that the problems of policemen in Brussels are still the same: drug dealing and crime boss networks. In the last several years, the quantity of cases connected with using and selling drugs in the city has risen considerably; therefore, the authorities have enhanced prevention and control actions concerning such matters. Matonge district, which boasts a great diversity of people from different parts of central Africa, has also risen to the new subject of debate regarding safety measures and the reduction of crimes within urban areas.
The Brussels-Capital Region has increased the resources required to promote policing and establish crime prevention programs, specifically in Brussels. Local politicians are promoting partnership work with the police in order to design and implement long-term policies that cover not only the daily and current forms of criminality but also the social conditions of crimes committed in cities.
Additionally, as has been said before, community leaders demanded that governments should invest in social criminology programs which can offer youths something better to do than using drugs and getting into crime. By engaging community leaders, organisations and citizens, the police aim to address problems that cause crimes proactively, hence avoiding mere re-active measures. Communities continue with emphasis on carrying out further investigation on the recent operation, though the police and community members aim to make Brussels safe for everyone.
