Under fire over the increase of drug-related violence in Antwerp, Marc De Mesmaeker's future as General Commissioner of the Federal Police rests in the balance as the Federal Government delays making a decision. However, De Mesmaeker now has the backing of the police unions who have released a statement in his support.
On Saturday, Het Nieuwsblad reported that De Mesmaeker had been summoned by the Federal Interior and Justice Ministers, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) and Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD).
The meeting was called to discuss recruiting challenges as well as the inability to battle a seemingly ever-increasing spike in drug-related violence in the Flemish city of Antwerp, which could apparently result in De Mesmaeker's mandate not being renewed by the Federal Government when it expires in June.
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In response, Flemish police unions (VSOA, NSPV and ACV Services Publics), as well as the French-speaking CSC Services Publics published a joint statement on Sunday to express their support for De Mesmaeker.
"It is with astonishment that we have learned that the future of the General Commissioner is being called into question by the authorities,” the unions' statement read.
“In times of crisis, it seems to have become a tradition to blame everything and anything on another victim,” the statement added, with the unions concluding by stating that they were “100% behind the General Commissioner.”
