Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) plans to meet with Brussels mayors individually to advocate merging the capital's six police zones.
Quintin's intentions were confirmed on Tuesday, according to outgoing Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS) during a plenary debate in the Brussels Parliament on Friday. The debate focused on the recent drug violence in Anderlecht.
Vervoort was questioned extensively by regional MPs from all parties regarding recent incidents of armed violence linked to drug trafficking.
The leader of the outgoing PS government expressed his concerns about the 'Arizona' government project. "Merging Brussels' police zones would mean managing a single unit of 6,500 officers…We don't know what legal adjustments will be necessary. It won't be easy," he warned. He pointed to the reservations of prosecutors, judges, police officers, and corps chiefs "who probably understand the matter better."
The French-speaking liberal MR party, which claims to have initiated the debate, through Amin El Boujdaini and Aline Godfrin, requested clear explanations on the responsiveness of police and emergency services, as well as the effectiveness of the current regional mechanisms. MR considers it "urgent to improve coordination between local and federal police services to ensure a swift and appropriate response to this growing threat."
"Let's use the crisis to anticipate the necessary unified command that will likely prevail within the framework of the police zone merger," stated Alain De Neef (MR), supported by a coalition of Flemish right-wing N-VA, liberals Open VLD, Christian Democrats CD&V, and socialists Vooruit – but not by any of the francophone parties of the outgoing majority.
