Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden emphasises a multi-faceted approach to combat rising violence and organized crime, including tackling illegal weapons and financial support for criminals. She plans to meet with prosecutors to explore all options for effective law enforcement.
According to Minister Verlinden, the police and justice system are trying hard to stop the violence. However, she warns that sharing too many details could affect their work. To make sure everything is covered, she will meet with prosecutors later this week. She wants to make sure they look at every option to tackle the problem.
“Despondency should not be our compass. Justice and police are doing everything they can to stop this violence as quickly as possible. I cannot release any details, otherwise we will wake sleeping dogs,”
Verlinden states in De Ochtend (Radio 1)
How is Minister Verlinden planning to tackle organised crime in Belgium?
According to Verlinden, it is important to invest for the long term. This will help law enforcement and the judicial system keep up with new challenges. She mentions that in the last term, they took big steps to improve security and justice, including adding €500 million in funding.
She believes that these efforts need to continue now to keep the progress going. She wants to make sure that authorities have enough resources to fight crime effectively. By keeping this level of investment, she hopes to build a stronger security system that can act before problems happen, instead of always reacting to crises.
Minister Verlinden wants to stop the money that supports crime. She says a lot of cash is made from criminal activities, especially in turf wars. The government plans to take this money away to weaken the criminals.
She mentiones that they will look at hotels and restaurants in Brussels that might be involved. They will also check bitcoins, which are hard to track and can be used to hide money. This way, they hope to disrupt crime and make the streets safer.
According to Verlinden, the illegal trade in weapons is a growing problem. Military-grade weapons are easy to find, and some can even be made with 3D printers. These guns often do not have serial numbers, making them hard to trace.
She believes it is important to have a strong plan to fight both the money and the weapons that support organised crime. Verlinden wants to focus on the illegal weapons trade and how it is changing.
Verlinden said:
“War weapons circulate far too easily. Today, weapons are even 3D printed. Without a production number, they are even more difficult to trace.”
Minister Verlinden talks about how criminals can still run their illegal activities from prison. She says we need better control of these inmates. She supports projects to stop them from communicating with people outside. By cutting these connections, the government wants to stop criminals from planning crimes while in jail. This plan is part of a larger effort to fight organized crime, even when it happens inside prisons.
“We must isolate these criminals. There are pilot projects to make their communication impossible,”
Verlinden says.
Verlinden talks about the need to catch not just big criminals but also smaller dealers who do illegal things. She asks local governments to help more in these cases. They should look into possible illegal trades in their areas.
She mentioned that, for instance, local officials can check places like betting shops or hair salons. These businesses might hide money laundering or other crimes. Verlinden believes these local checks are important to find hidden criminal activities. She thinks that if local governments take action, they can break up crime networks and reduce illegal trade.
