N-VA calls for regional crisis phase to tackle Brussels security crisis: “Brussels needs to put its own house in order first”

Brussels is facing an unprecedented and persistent wave of drug-related gun violence. In response, Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre is calling on the Brussels Government, in a resolution, to activate the regional crisis phase. “Brussels’ approach to security remains far too fragmented, while criminal networks obviously pay no attention to municipal boundaries,” he says, together with federal MP Maaike De Vreese.

Activate the regional crisis phase

The regional crisis phase has already been successfully activated in the past, including during the large-scale reception of Ukrainian refugees. “We should not hesitate to use this mechanism today to address the security crisis affecting our capital and everyone who lives in Brussels,” says Mathias Vanden Borre.

Activating the crisis phase would enable centralised crisis coordination, allow additional measures to be rolled out and strengthen cooperation between the six police zones and the various security services. “Simply demanding more resources, as the mayors are doing, will not solve the problems. Brussels needs a single, coordinated security strategy,” Mathias Vanden Borre and Maaike De Vreese stress.

Time for decisive administrative action

To directly disrupt criminal networks, N-VA is proposing a series of far-reaching and targeted administrative measures to be included in the police order.

First, the current hotspot plan for high-risk areas such as the Canal Zone, Peterbos and Halle Gate should be revised at regional level. Within these designated areas, police would be given broader powers to carry out systematic identity checks, preventive searches and preventive vehicle checks. Bans on public gatherings should help disrupt the organisation of street-level drug dealing, while individual or category-based administrative exclusion orders could be imposed on people repeatedly found acting as lookouts or street dealers in these hotspots.

The gangs’ logistical networks must also be tackled head-on, including through a temporary ban on items that facilitate drug dealing or anonymity, such as balaclavas, precision scales and two-way radios. At the same time, targeted checks should be carried out on modified e-bikes and e-scooters in hotspot areas, as these are often used for reconnaissance or as getaway vehicles. In addition, high-risk commercial premises or non-profit organisations being used as logistical fronts should be subject to immediate closure, sealing or earlier closing times at regional level, without having to wait for lengthy municipal procedures.

Finally, Mathias Vanden Borre wants to extend police powers to semi-public spaces such as apartment building stairwells and garages, allowing police to remove drug gangs from these areas directly. He also proposes deploying mobile ANPR scanners and temporary cameras on key access routes around hotspots, as well as introducing mandatory regional data sharing through safe.brussels to prevent criminal activity from simply shifting to a neighbouring municipality.

Provide federal support

Federal MP Maaike De Vreese stresses that the federal authorities stand ready to deploy additional federal police officers and military personnel where necessary. At the same time, she warns that criminal activity could potentially shift towards the Flemish municipalities surrounding Brussels.

“The appointment of a Gold Commander is a positive step and once again shows the urgent need to make the merger of Brussels’ six police zones operational,” Maaike De Vreese concludes. “We are calling on the minister to step up the pace, and we expect Brussels’ mayors to cooperate rather than obstruct the process.”