Sint-Niklaas (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The liberal police union VSOA demands stopping the unsafe Molotov training at Westakkers, Sint-Niklaas. Spokesperson Stijn Pauwels cites fire risks, lack of medical care, and asbestos nearby.
As VRT News reported, the liberal police union VSOA is calling for the immediate halt of the Molotov training course at the Westakkers training area in Sint-Niklaas due to significant safety issues.
According to officials, this specific training is required for all police officers who are involved in maintaining public order, preparing them to deal with incidents involving incendiary devices such as Molotov cocktails, which are frequently used during demonstrations.
The union points out that the training environment and the safety measures in place have repeatedly proven to be insufficient. Stijn Pauwels, a spokesperson for the union, has stressed that they have repeatedly warned about the existing dangers, but no substantial improvements have been implemented.
Is Sint-Niklaas’ Westakkers training site safe enough for Molotov training?
According to officials, besides the safety issues during training, the Westakkers site itself is also unsafe. The ground has big oil stains, which could cause fires or make officers slip. The training area is near a warehouse with asbestos. The union wants to stop the training to make sure officers are safe from both the training and the environment.
“These problems have been known since 2021, but nothing is being done about them,”
Says Pauwels.
The police officers want an outside expert to check the safety of the exercises. They also want medical staff to be there all the time to help if needed. Stijn Pauwels from the police union says their requests are small and make sense. They just want the safest possible conditions for the officers.
Pauwels also says that many police officers haven’t had the first aid training they are supposed to get. This training is important, but it hasn’t been organised. The union asked to delay the training in a meeting, but the response was not good.
They were told that some safety steps had been taken, and the future sessions would be filmed. Pauwels says that filming the training doesn’t solve the real problems, like not having enough water, no medical care, and not following basic safety rules.
“There was a recent report that ‘everything will be filmed from now on’, as if a camera were capturing the lack of medical care and decency.”
Stin Pauwels of the liberal police union VSOA
Police officers are concerned about their safety during training exercises and have urgently requested action from the federal ministers in charge, Bernard Quintin (Interior) and Annelies Verlinden (Justice). However, the ministers have not yet responded to these requests. The labour inspectorate has been notified and may assess the current conditions.
The police union and the officers fear that the training will continue to expose them to unnecessary risks without immediate intervention. They are demanding better oversight, improved safety measures, and proper medical support to ensure the officers are adequately protected while training for public order maintenance.
An incident occurred on April 24, 2025, when officers who suffered burns were forced to use rainwater collected from an old container because proper emergency equipment was unavailable. Pauwels expressed his frustration, stating that safety appears to be treated as a secondary concern rather than a primary focus during these training sessions.
