Brussels will ban the use of e-scooters in 19 places known as hotspots for using and buying drugs, Minister-President Boris Dilliès announced on Wednesday.
Dilliès announced the measure as part of a new police decree, meant to combat drug-related violence in the Capital region.
Specific measures will be introduced for the nineteen hotspots. These are neighbourhoods where drug dealing is most tightly controlled. The hotspots will be reviewed every three months.
Most notable is the ban on electric scooters, whether privately owned or shared. The decree further includes a ban on drinking alcohol in public and ongoing police identity checks. In the event of a serious threat in a hotspot, a mayor may now also ban gatherings, restrict traffic to residents only, close venues, and impose a curfew or a speed limit.
Between 1 January and 30 September this year, 74 shootings took place in Brussels, resulting in two deaths and 28 injuries. According to Dilliès, e-scooters were used in roughly a quarter of the shootings.
