The Brussels-Capital Region is taking various precautionary measures to ensure New Year's Eve celebrations run smoothly and people remain safe.
Thousands of people are expected to descend on Brussels city centre to mark the start of 2025, said safe.brussels – the body in charge of security management – on Monday. Many visitors plan to watch the annual fireworks display, which will be held at a new location this year.
"To ensure the safety of the public and emergency workers, everything is thoroughly prepared in cooperation with the security and emergency services," safe.brussels' director general Sophie Lavaux said in a statement.
While normally fragmented, Brussels' six local police zones will operate under the unified command of Michel Goovaerts, head of the City of Brussels/Ixelles police zone, on New Year's Eve.
Meanwhile, the regional crisis centre will be activated to support police officers, coordinate the emergency services and analyse information and situations in real-time. The crisis centre is activated for important EU and NATO summits, in the context of a terrorist threat or possible major disasters, as well as ahead of demonstrations or sports and cultural events.
Large gatherings
Following the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, Germany, on 20 December, Lavaux has confirmed that regional authorities are prepared to respond swiftly to similar attacks on large crowds. "The region can quickly coordinate a security operation if something happens," she said.
Belgium's terror alert level remains at 3 (out of 4), indicating that a threat is possible and likely. However, there are no specific threats to the country's Christmas markets or New Year's Eve festivities. The threat level was raised from 2 to 3 for the first time in over five years following the terrorist attack in Brussels on 16 October 2023.
The New Year's Eve celebrations at Atomium on Tuesday 31 December 2019. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The largest gathering is expected at the foot of the Atomium, where the fireworks show will take place. The display outside the Royal Palace on 31 December 2023 attracted 55,000 people.
Security checks will be carried out, and bags, glass bottles, cans, pyrotechnic material, and other items that could injure people will be confiscated. Several streets around the Atomium will be closed to traffic.
Petty crime
The region is also preparing for smaller-scale violence. Last year, Brussels police arrested 206 people on New Year's Eve and the fire brigade responded to 663 incidents, including extinguishing burning vehicles, scooters and public property. People also targeted emergency services with fireworks.
To prevent such incidents, Brussels has formally banned the use of firecrackers and fireworks across the region. "The possession, transport and use of firecrackers and fireworks are banned in the region to ensure the safety of everyone and reduce the risk of incidents," said Lavaux. However, police have already been attacked by people with pyrotechnics in Neder-over-Heembeek, and many people have disobeyed the fireworks ban in the past without consequences.
The Bruxelles-Propreté services will be on standby all day on 31 December to empty waste containers and glass bins at certain locations to further minimise the risk of incidents. "Rubbish bins will be emptied preventively and litter will be collected more regularly to avoid such waste being used for questionable purposes on New Year's Eve."
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Some local authorities have taken further steps to ensure safety. The municipality of Anderlecht has come under fire for imposing a pre-emptive 19:00 curfew on all under 16-year-olds in the Cureghem neighbourhood on New Year's Eve. The curfew aims to curb disorder but has been criticised for criminalising minors before they have done anything wrong.
Preventive work will also be carried out: in neighbourhoods where incidents are more common, additional neighbourhood officers will be deployed. Hundreds of extra staff are being called in from outside Brussels for this reason. The Federal Police is also making equipment available, such as drones and some water cannons, Bruzz reported.
The Brussels fire brigade is also deploying extra personnel. It will call on police escorts depending on the seriousness of the situation.
