Charleroi Mayor and Belgian Socialist Party (PS) leader Paul Magnette called on Tuesday for investment in law enforcement and justice to counter drug trafficking and high levels of violence.
His comments to Bel RTL followed the death of a police officer during a raid in Lodelinsart. Monday morning’s police operation was impeccably prepared and the officers were well-equipped, Magnette said after taking part in an incident review meeting in Charleroi. However, such operations remain dangerous and investigators revealed that the offender had fired all the bullets in his gun at the officers.
Belgium remains a hub for drug trafficking. “Antwerp port has become the drug gateway to Europe, with 116 tonnes of cocaine seized last year. From Antwerp, it spills out across the entire country,” Magnette stated.
“We must continue to invest in the police, in justice,” he confirmed. “Under the MR/N-VA government, we lost 1,800 police officers. Under the current legislature, we have recruited 5,000 officers. We must continue to do so.”
Federal MP Georges Dallemagne (Les Engagés) echoed these sentiments on LN24: “We are short of 3,600 police officers at the local and federal level,” he noted, adding that numerous officers are missing from the elite unit involved in Monday’s fatal raid. Despite the grave consequences of the raid not appearing to be due to a shortage of officers, Dallemagne stressed that “we need manpower to protect the population from the high levels of violence.”
Related News
- 'Impossible' to eradicate risk of Brussels terrorist attack completely, police chief says
- Three police officers among 22 people arrested in major drug bust
- How drug gangs took over Antwerp’s port
The MP also commented on the ongoing scandal that is rocking the Belgian military. A platoon in Amay was disbanded following allegedly criminal occurrences. “I want full transparency. That didn’t happen last week (at a press conference with Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder, ed.),” Dallemagne lamented.
He said that parliamentarians had been kept in the dark and called for a timeline of events and investigations to be shared with parliament. He also revealed being contacted by soldiers from other barracks in the south of the country who claimed to have witnessed criminally reprehensible acts.
A dedicated Defence Commission meeting is scheduled in the chamber on Wednesday morning.
