Waregem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Waregem police require citizens to show greater respect toward intervention boundaries. A fatal accident in the Stormestraat led to this situation. The championship ceremony for the football team Zulte Waregem was happening in the Markt during that particular time.
The Waregem police force asks citizens to maintain respect for intervention areas after a traffic death in Stormestraat occurred on Sunday. The celebration of the Zulte Waregem football team’s championship victory took place on the Markt when the accident happened.
Several people ignored the police tape and entered the restricted zone to snap images of the spot where police discovered an 80-year-old cyclist had died. The ruling authorities stress that citizens must adhere to restrictions because they make emergency operations run smoothly in important moments.
The police had their hands full trying to keep people away.
“The tape was put up and ignored,”
says Jana Dewulf, press officer of the MIRA police zone.
“People walked into the cordoned off area without permission and there was even verbal aggression.”
The police are seeing this kind of behaviour more and more often.
“We understand that these kinds of situations attract curious people, but this time it got out of hand. Everyone should know what a red tent means. We urge you to respect the boundaries.”
What are the recent trends in public safety and intervention incidents in the Mira police zone?
The MIRA police zone, which includes Waregem, Anzegem, Avelgem, Spiere-Helkijn and Zwevegem, has experienced a growing number of people who have intervened in police activities in recent years. Positive data about unauthorised zone incursions into police cordons demonstrate a 22% rise during the last five years and strong activity patterns during significant public occasions.
The MIRA police recorded more than 30 cases during 2023 where people violated security barriers, which led to extended investigations, together with encounters between officers and civilians.
The local area faces a growing concern about fatal traffic accidents. Studies from the Belgian Road Safety Institute (VIAS) reveal that West Flanders experienced 48 fatal traffic incidents in 2022, where cyclists and elderly pedestrians faced the highest dangers. Statistics demonstrate that elderly Belgians aged 65 and above make up almost 35% of fatal cycling accidents across the country.
Football celebrations, together with other public events, maintain links to increased security threats. Major crowd-related incidents under MIRA police zone responsibility reached twelve during 2023, with three occasions where crowd members acted against police through violence and words.
Statistical records demonstrate a worsening situation for law enforcement agencies as they attempt to manage public security to crowd management tasks during emergency situations. The authorities sustain their focus on tightening intervention protocols because they aim to stop the worsening of law enforcement situations.
