site.btaDrug Gang Shootouts Continue in Brussels Despite Police Measures

For a third night in a now, there was a shootout between drug dealers in Brussels, local media reported. The latest incident resulted in a casualty, and the shooting took place in the presence of a police patrol.

Earlier this week, federal authorities announced their intention to eradicate the problem and established a joint command post for security forces. The expectation was that it would lead to quicker and more effective response from police, which are now divided into responsibility zones - an approach that experts see as weak and inefficient.

Local residents in Anderlecht, one of the municipalities in the Brussels-capital region, which has been hit hardest by the turf war of drug dealers, express fear and complain that the situation has been worsening for a long time. A report on local television showed that it is very easy to buy drugs here. Some passersby claim that the police must know where the drug-dealing locations are, as they haven't changed since the 1980s.

In Belgium, drug sales are completely prohibited, unlike in neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the port of Antwerp, the country’s second-largest city, has the reputation of being a gateway for Latin American cocaine into Europe. According to data cited in the media, last year, 89 shootouts between criminal groups were registered in Brussels, with 10 fatalities and 48 people injured.

"There is much to be desired; more police are needed on the ground," Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said at a press conference Friday. He added that more officers will be deployed in the metro system, and for this purpose, retired police officers have been called back to service. "The streets belong to the people, not to the traffickers," the minister said.