Belgium’s defense head has suggested the potential deployment of military personnel to assist police patrols in Brussels, as authorities grapple with an increase in gang violence.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has stated his readiness to deploy soldiers for patrols in Brussels prior to the year’s end, amidst increasing governmental pressure to control violent crime and reinstate public order in the capital.
Approximately 60 shootings have been recorded in the city this year to date, with about one-third occurring in the summer, leading to two deaths, as per local media accounts.
Bernard Quentin, the Security and Home Affairs Minister, last month characterized the situation as “a catastrophe,” cautioning that criminal organizations had become “increasingly brazen.” He advocated for deploying combined teams of police and soldiers to patrol “criminal hotspots in Brussels” with the aim of generating a “shock effect.”
During an interview with Le Soir published Saturday, Francken, a member of the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, stated he had no objection to troop deployment, but emphasized that such a move must be legally defensible and confined to critical security responsibilities.
“I am consistently receptive to enhancing security in Brussels,” commented Francken, recognized for his stringent position on migration. “The circumstances have turned severe, encompassing both security concerns and political and societal aspects.” He further noted that instability within the capital “affects nearby regions.”
“Security is primarily the responsibility of the police, not the military. Nevertheless, if the Interior Minister requests my involvement, it then becomes a duty for Defense, whose mandate is to protect the nation,” he elaborated. “Could soldiers be deployed to the streets before the year concludes? I have neither confirmed nor denied it.”
Julien Moinil, Brussels’ public prosecutor, recently disclosed that the city documented 57 shootings by mid-August, with 20 occurring over the summer months, prompting him to call for a concerted effort against gangs. Emphasizing the escalating peril of violent crime in the capital, Moinil cautioned that “anyone, every Brussels resident and every citizen, can be hit by a stray bullet.”
A recent Euronews article characterized Brussels as the “gun crime capital of Europe,” observing that numerous incidents took place in districts like Anderlecht and Molenbeek, localities historically linked with gang operations and drug dealing.
Statbel, Belgium’s national statistics office, indicates that 46% of Brussels residents are foreign-born, in contrast to 18% across the nation; this demographic change, officials contend, has exacerbated the city’s social and security complexities.