Following cries for help from local residents and figures from the police about the crime surrounding the Brussels-Midi train station, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is taking matters into his own hands and appointing two coordinators.
Brussels-Midi has recently been making headlines for the presence of criminals such as drug dealers and thieves, as well as homeless people and drug users in and around the station. Official police figures also showed that there is as much crime in Brussels-Midi as in 13 major Flemish stations combined.
"It is a complex problem that cuts across several levels of government," De Croo's spokesperson told Bruzz. "In the worst-case scenario, we would be playing the blame game. Instead, we want to work together to tackle the problem."
Therefore, De Croo decided to convene a meeting with all parties involved: the Ministries for Home Affairs, Asylum and Migration and Mobility, the Brussels Regional authorities, the local authorities for Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles and railway company SNCB.
Unable to handle it alone
The first meeting took place on Monday 21 August, during which the various parties involved exchanged knowledge. The aim is to appoint two coordinators, but the concrete plans are not yet clear, De Tijd reports. Further consultations should follow in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Brussels government's approach has been harshly criticised by the opposition parties, which stated that the Regional parties and the safe.brussels agency seemed absent from the debate and on in the station during the summer months.
But the limits of the resources and manpower that the Region can deploy have been reached, said a spokesperson for Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort. "This problem transcends Brussels, and we have long since been unable to handle it alone, just as Antwerp cannot handle it alone either."
A man standing on a platform at Brussels Midi. Credit: Belga/Thierry Roge
Still, the region did a lot of work in terms of prevention: it supported the first risk-reducing consumption room close to the station, and the Sublink project, which is committed to the safety of the passengers in the station and also provides assistance to drug users in metro stations. Finally, the humanitarian hub offers various forms of assistance to people from migrant backgrounds who cannot access Federal Government services.
In the meantime, the Flemish rightwing N-VA party calls for a "policy shake-up" to restore security around Brussels international train stations by introducing, among other things, a regional alcohol and gathering ban in station neighbourhoods, and permanent police posts in major railway stations.
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A task force should then, according to N-VA, strengthen cooperation and coordination between local police zones, the federal police, Securail and the railway police.
Vervoort's spokesperson welcomed the idea of an appointed coordinator, and is especially relieved that De Croo initiated the meeting to find a solution: "In the fight against nuisance, drug crime and the problems associated with that, Brussels can use all the help it can get."
