Belgium has one of the highest rates of gun violence in Europe, according to new research published by the Flemish Peace Institute (FPI).
The study, focusing on criminal use of firearms resulting in death and injury, places Belgium in fourth place behind Italy, Denmark and Sweden. It links gun violence back to three main areas: armed robberies, gang violence, and drug trafficking.
Belgium and the Netherlands have become drug smuggling hotspots owing to a concentration of the drug trade in the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam.
Illegal exports are not limited to narcotics, however. The report outlines the increasing circulation of weapons throughout Europe and stresses the link between the drug and firearms industries.
"Due to an enormous influx of firearms even young or petty criminals nowadays have relatively easy access to converted or reactivated firearms, even outright weapons of war, for example from the Western Balkans," FPI researcher Astrid de Schutter said.
"It leads to a deadly, vicious circle in which many drug criminals – from high to low – start arming themselves better, for their safety or to protect or expand their market," de Schutter continued.
The research focused on data from men who were injured or killed by bullets in Europe. The majority of these men were under 35, and most cases occurred in the immediate aftermath of a robbery.
Community impact
With arms readily available to organised gangs in an easily accessible market, gun violence is becoming more common across Europe, especially in drug trafficking hubs.
In Antwerp, for instance, violent incidents involving firearms are rising in tandem with numerous high-profile drug seizures at the port. At the beginning of the year, an 11-year-old girl was shot dead in her family home during a drug-related attack.
The FPI's research aims to highlight the human cost of rising gun violence alongside its link to drug trafficking. FPI Director Nils Duquet says affected neighbourhoods suffer long-term trauma and higher social and medical costs following a shooting.
Other indirect effects of gun violence include a heightened fear of crime, falling trust in public authorities, and the 'near repeat' phenomenon, when one shooting dramatically increases the likelihood of another one.
