The new police station around Brussels-Midi station was expected to open at the end of the summer to tackle crime and the sense of insecurity, but it has missed its deadline. However, continuous police presence in the station is imminent.
Both the Federal Railway Police and national railway operator SNCB's security service, Securail, are present in the station. Still, reports of violence, drug use and petty theft in and around the country's busiest station are commonplace. Concerns about insecurity reached boiling point last summer, driven in part by growing crack consumption in the area.
After a major clean-up operation, which NGOs criticised as it targeted vulnerable people and shifted the problem to Porte de Hal, the Federal Government announced that it would tackle the issues strategically with a dedicated police station in Brussels-Midi. The station was due to open by "the end of summer," but it has still not materialised.
Police at Bruxelles Midi railway station. Credit: Belga/ Thierry Roge
SNCB and the Federal Police have now confirmed to VRT NWS that the final touches are being put in place for the opening of the station. "It will open in the coming weeks," SNCB's spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman said. SNCB still needs a few weeks to complete the necessary work on the site, while the police still need another one to two weeks to install security equipment. Staff for the station have already been recruited.
The new station, which will reportedly serve as an extra post for the Railway Police, will reinforce the presence of uniformed officers. "This has two advantages for travellers: there will be a continuous police presence during the station's opening hours, and travellers will be able to lodge a complaint at the police station if necessary."
Neighbourhood committees have repeatedly denounced the feelings of insecurity. They welcome the fact that the police station will be open during the station's opening hours, as the area is still facing security problems. The head of one committee said that, after every police action, there is a 48-hour "period of calm," meaning a continued police presence will likely improve the situation. They do, however, lament that the station will not be open 24 hours a day.
