Brussels (The Brussels morning newspaper): On August 22, Brussels-West police conducted five house searches targeting a violent gang known for robberies and assaults in parks and metro stations, arresting five minors aged 15-17 with prior offenses.
The police in Brussels-West did five house searches on August 22. They were looking for a gang that does violent robberies and assaults on purpose. The gang is known to be very violent and usually does their crimes in parks and underground stations. After the operation, the police arrested five people. All of them are between 15 and 17 years old and have been involved in many crimes since the start of the year. Three suspects were sent to the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office and kept in custody. Two were sent to the Halle-Vilvoorde district. One was put in a juvenile detention center, and the other was found not guilty.
What are the pros and cons of merging police zones?
The Brussels-West police area includes five towns. Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Koekelberg, Jette, Ganshoren and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. Three out of 15 of Brussels’ “drug hotspots” are in Molenbeek, so they are under more police watch. The Brussels-West police area consists of five municipalities. Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Koekelberg, Jette, Ganshoren and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. Among Brussels’ 15 “drug hotspots,” three are located in Molenbeek. Due to this concentration of drug-related activity, Molenbeek is subjected to increased police surveillance to address and monitor the drug issues in the area effectively.
The ongoing discussion about combining Brussels’ six police zones has resurfaced during the Federal Government formation discussions. All French-speaking parties, except Ecolo, opposed merging before the elections. However, the Francophone centrists Les EngagĂ©s are willing to reconsider merging to negotiate with N-VA, the Flemish right-wing party leading the talks. The Francophone Parti Socialiste (PS) doesn’t support centralization, saying it’s a “bad idea” that would harm local policing. Supporters of merging think combining resources would assist officers in tackling crime that crosses boundaries.
