Large-scale police action at Waregem station

Almost everyone who gets on or off in Waregem on Saturday has to believe it: just pass by the police for a check. For a whole day, the police will carry out checks together with a few trainees, inspectors from De Lijn and NMBS and employees of the Immigration Department.

“On the one hand, it is preventive, to show people: we are present. Because of course we do receive signals from local residents. And we also note that there is nuisance here and there, especially with the nicer weather, there are more troublemakers who looking for relaxation, so to speak. But on the other hand, we also want to act as a deterrent because we actually have that nuisance and we want to give the signal that we are there.” says Jana De Wulf of MIRA Police Zone.

Always present

Earlier there was also an action on Wednesday, but by also checking on Saturday, the police want to show that they are not only present at peak times. Because it is quieter on Saturdays, it is the ideal training ground for the police aspirants present. The police also do not intend to stop at this action and are already thinking of subsequent large-scale control actions.

In total, 358 people were checked on the train and 141 people on the bus. 24 Lijn buses were checked and an equal number of bus drivers were subjected to a ‘Safe’ breath test. Three people were also arrested in the context of illegality, one person was signaled and arrested. Five PVs were issued for drug possession and one person was issued a PV for smoking on the platform. Finally, the drug dog signaled something suspicious in 24 people.