Haren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A female prison guard’s home in Strépy, Wallonia, was attacked early Thursday, March 6, 2025, who works in Haren prison. Eddy De Smedt (VSOA Prison Service) warns of rising violence, citing past attacks in Grâce-Hollogne, Haren, and Heers. Unions urge government action.
On Thursday morning, March 6, 2025, around 6:00, an incident happened at the home of a female prison guard in Strépy, Wallonia, who works in Haren prison. Eddy De Smedt, who works for the VSOA Prison Service, said that the local police are investigating the incident. He mentioned that nobody knows if the attack is connected to the guard’s work or personal life. But people who know her say that she’s always done her job well.
According to the prison service, they knew about the attack, but they won’t say anything more. Even though the damage to the guard’s home isn’t very bad, prison workers are worried. De Smedt said that this is the 4th time a prison guard has been attacked in a short time, and it’s making prison workers afraid.
What is causing the rise in attacks on Belgian prison guards?
According to Eddy De Smedt, the recent attacks on prison guards in Belgium are a sign of a new and worrying trend. He says this kind of thing has been happening in France for a long time, but now it’s happening in Belgium too. He’s concerned because these attacks are targeting prison workers, and this makes people worried about their safety both inside and outside of prisons.
He mentioned that it’s hard to know when and where these attacks will happen, so it’s hard to stop them. De Smedt says it’s hard to know who might attack them before it happens. The government needs to do something to protect prison workers.
Eddy De Smedt believes solving the issue of having too many prisoners in jails would keep everyone, including both prisoners and officials, safe. He explains that when jails get too full, it is difficult for officials to work effectively, such as frisking them for weapons or maintaining order.
According to him, personnel would have more time to perform their duties and ensure that inmates do not possess items such as cell phones if prisons were less overcrowded. He thinks that these attacks are probably being planned by prisoners using cell phones. He thinks that if the government makes prisons safer, fixes the buildings, and reduces overcrowding, it will help to stop these attacks.
De Smedt says,
“This would give staff more room to perform the necessary checks. This is certainly necessary on hidden cell phones among detainees. We suspect that incidents such as this morning are probably communicated from the prison.’
This is the latest in a series of attacks against prison workers. In January 2025, someone threw a firebomb at a prison worker’s home in Grâce-Hollogne, and prison workers went on strike for a day. That worker had been threatened before. Earlier that same month, 3 cars were burned at Haren prison.
In November 2024, a prison worker’s car was burned in Heers, and someone sent a threatening letter to his partner. Because of all these attacks, unions are asking the justice minister, the interior minister, and the courts to do something to keep prison workers safe at work and home.
