During the latest security sweep on Thursday at Brussels-Midi Station, authorities detained another 28 individuals.
Legal proceedings have been initiated against 17 of these individuals for various offences, including theft, carrying illegal weapons, using fraudulent documents, and drug possession.
Additionally, one local law enforcement officer sustained injuries when apprehending a suspect. This operation comes on the heels of an extensive police crackdown on crime last weekend at the same location, where 56 people were taken into custody.
These initiatives are part of a broader plan announced by the Federal Government to enhance safety and living conditions around the station. The area has been the subject of multiple reports highlighting issues such as crime and public disturbances in recent weeks.
Grime and crime
One report showed that there was as much crime at the major Brussels station as in 13 Flemish stations combined. According to official police figures, 146 armed robberies were committed at or near the Brussels-Midi station over the past year.
This insecurity around the station is particularly harmful to Belgium’s image in the eyes of tourists. Serving as Belgium's Eurostar terminal, it is often the first area of the capital, or even the country, that British travellers will see.
The purpose of the recent security crackdown is not only to apprehend those involved in criminal activities but also to identify and assist vulnerable individuals, such as the homeless and those struggling with substance abuse, the government claims. Authorities plan to guide these individuals to appropriate social service agencies. Further security initiatives are planned for the coming weeks.
Despite this, the new tightened security presence in and around the station has led to growing criticism of the government’s approach. Firstly, arrests disproportionately target undocumented people in Belgium. Some have posed questions as to whether this will really lead to a true reduction in crime, especially amidst Brussels’ growing crack epidemic.
Worker cleaning outside Brussels-Midi Station. A second police action in and around Brussels-Midi station. Thursday 31 August 2023. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Business owners in and around the station have also expressed their concerns about the government’s plans for the station.
The head of a local business association representing these companies has denounced the Federal Government’s “catastrophic” mismanagement of the security situation at Brussels-Midi and claims that its planned crackdown will just make things worse.
They view the government’s plan to deploy hundreds of police officers to the station as a short-term solution to the long-running security problems, instead pointing to the need for more structural changes to rising drug use and the asylum crisis.
In the long term, the Federal Government says that it will increase cooperation with security services at the station, collaborate further with the Brussels-Capital Region, and work on improving the infrastructure around the station to help discourage crime and tackle the insalubrious image of the station area.
