The Brussels-Midi police zone presented the results of its 'summer plan' on Wednesday, which was carried out from mid-June to mid-September with the aim of reducing the feeling of insecurity in the area.
The results show, among other things, that of the 1,416 people arrested this summer, 975 live outside these municipalities.
Jurgen De Landsheer, commander of the Brussels-Midi police zone which includes the municipalities of Anderlecht, Forest and Saint-Gilles, was unable to specify where the 975 people came from.
He did, however, indicate that some arrived from other communes in the Brussels-Capital Region and others from further afield, such as Liège, Aalst and Verviers. "There are minors who take the train [to Midi] to come and earn €100 to €200 a day selling drugs," he said, by way of example.
The 'summer plan' for the Brussels-Midi police zone was put in place, among other things, to combat drug trafficking in certain neighbourhoods, such as Peterbos in Anderlecht. It also aimed to tackle the nuisance associated with drug and alcohol consumption elsewhere in the zone, particularly around the Brussels-Midi station.
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The plan was implemented by the local police in collaboration with municipal services. On Wednesday, the police zone reported 602 targeted actions, 4,833 municipal administrative penalties imposed, 215 official reports drawn up for drug-related offences, 177 kg of drugs discovered and €116,012 seized from drug trafficking.
In addition, 1,416 people were arrested, including 791 in Anderlecht, 418 in Saint-Gilles, 162 in Forest and 45 outside the area.
