Due to increasing drug violence, not just in Brussels, but across the country, a senior police chief is fearing a spike in shootings which could put innocent bystanders at risk.
Last weekend, the police from the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles zone were called to intervene due to a shooting at the intersection of the Chaussée de Wavre and the Rue Francart in the municipality of Ixelles.
Two victims were found on the street: one was hit in the ribs, the other person in the thighs by a stray bullet, marking the first civilian casualty of drug violence in the region. The woman was simply walking down the street when the shooting took place.
Both Ixelles' mayor Christos Doulkeridis and Michel Goovaerts, police chief of the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone, denounced these "totally unacceptable acts of violence," adding that the incident is further evidence of the unprecedented scale of drug trafficking, in which firearms are increasingly being resorted to in the context of conflicts.
"We now see other types of drugs, such as cocaine and crack, popping up in the neighbourhood and that is something that worries us," said Goovaerts in an interview with Bruzz. He noted that the first civilian casualty has been a long time coming.
"There have already been a number of shootings on the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region, and I fear we will not be able to rule out the possibility of more shootings, including in Brussels city and Ixelles," said Goovaerts. He explained that a territory war was going on in the region. "Some gangs are trying to take control of the trade."
Less than two weeks ago, one man was shot with 17 bullets in the Brussels municipality of Anderlecht, possibly with Kalashnikovs, while innocent people stood by and watched the dramatic scene unfold. In the same week, two other shootings took place, and it is more than likely that these were incidents of drug-related violence.
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There have been no leads on the perpetrators of the Ixelles shooting for now, but the investigation continues. "All avenues are open. It could be a fight that got out of hand or it could be related to a drug deal. The investigation will have to reveal that further," Goovaerts said.
He stressed the Federal Police should urgently be given the necessary resources to fight violent crime. Increased drug violence is a problem faced also in Antwerp, which due to its large port is a hotspot for drug traffickers. The first innocent victim of such violence, an 11-year-old girl, was killed earlier this year.
Following this shooting, the Federal Government announced seven measures to tackle organised drug crime in the country. However, almost eight months later, these have produced little result.
