The Federal Government will allocate a portion of its newly announced budget to building a police station inside Brussels-Midi station, the office of the Belgian Interior Minister has confirmed.
Nick Gyselinck, a spokesperson for Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, told The Brussels Times that the permanent police presence will enhance the "security and liveability" of the area in and around the station.
"For Brussels-Midi, the necessary resources have been freed up to set up a police station inside the station itself," Gyselinck noted. "This will increase the proximity, approachability and visibility of police forces in the station."
According to official police figures, 146 armed robberies were committed at or near Midi over the past year. One recent study estimated that the level of crime at Midi is as high as in all stations of all 13 major Flemish cities combined.
Necessary – but not sufficient?
Gyselinck was careful to emphasise that the presence of additional police officers alone will not resolve the numerous problems at Midi, which include widespread "poverty, homelessness and addiction". He also stressed that "there are other stations in the country besides Midi that need attention".
To address these wider issues, Gyselinck said that federal funds will also be used to develop a "national camera network" at Belgian train stations, which will then be integrated with police surveillance systems.
"This network will make it possible to share all images from the SNCB's cameras in and around stations in real time with the Federal Police and all local police zones," Gyselinck explained. "This will allow police forces to carry out digital patrols, and thus also to be immediately on the ground where police teams are most needed."
Gyselinck noted that, in total, €3.4 million from the federal budget will be used to ensure that Belgian stations remain "liveable and safe": a significant amount, although just a fraction (less than 0.02%) of total expected government spending next year.
The Feds stay in charge
On Thursday, Bruzz reported that an anonymous source close to Verlinden's office had said that the Federal Government would remain responsible for ensuring public safety in and around Midi until next spring.
The National Crisis Centre, a federal body, temporarily took charge of the security situation at Midi in late August, following widespread complaints from travellers and local residents about the station's high crime rate.
Shortly thereafter, the Federal Government deployed hundreds of police officers to the station in a widespread crackdown. Verlinden herself was photographed conversing with police officials during the operation, which led to dozens of arrests.
