The chief of the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone Michel Goovaerts has reiterated the importance of local mayors in dealing with security issues in Brussels.
Goovaerts said the importance of mayors for Brussels security cannot be underestimated during an address to the House of Representatives' Interior Committee on Tuesday.
The Police Chief was discussing the events of New Year's Eve in Brussels, requesting the establishment of structures comparable to local comprehensive security cells (CSIL).
These multidisciplinary bodies bring together a series of actors in order to prevent terrorist offences, both by detecting radicalised people or those on the verge of becoming radicalised and by setting up individualised monitoring.
"We need to create a case-by-case consultation for these problematic young people, these 'irredeemable' ones," he said. The measure would allow different actors to "come together and share information."
In this context, "The role of the mayors is extremely important," he said. "As head of the force, I have two interlocutors who can resolve problems: the mayor and the public prosecutor. The mayor is the one who has the moral authority to bring people together and ask for a solution for X or Y."
Police zone merger would 'sideline' mayors
Goovaerts also warned against the prospect of merging Brussel's six police zones, which is due to occur during the current Federal Government mandate. The measure aims to develop a unified security policy across the capital and to promote the deployment of police officers and the flow of information.
"I don't believe in a single police zone that wouldn't be close to the neighbourhoods and the mayors," said Goovaerts. "If the mayors have nothing to say, I don't believe in it. The mayors know the neighbourhoods and have their contacts with the neighbourhoods. In the event of a merger, what role will they play? If they are sidelined, it won't work."
"We take the role of the mayors seriously, there is no need to worry," MP Maaike De Vreese (N-VA) stated in response.
All 19 Brussels mayors are firmly opposed to a police zone merger, arguing it is a "false solution" to Brussels' crime and policing issues.
