Scarbeek/Saint-Josse-ten-NodeThe municipality of Schaerbeek has decided that all commercial activities in the Noordwijk must be shut down between 1 am and 6 am. It is the first measure taken in the wake of Thursday night’s crimes, where a police officer was stabbed to death at a red light.
The mayors of Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Node have decided to ban all commercial activities at the level of the Noordwijk and the Koninginneplein district. This means that all activities of the catering industry, prostitution, night shops, phone shops, newsagents and betting offices will have to be shut down between 1 pm. and 6 a.m. in the morning on all days of the week (7d/7): The Noordwijk has been under tension for too long”, says Mayor Cecile Jodoigne, president of the Police College and acting mayor of the municipality of Schaerbeek. “The crime figures are higher than anywhere else in the Brussels North police zone. The workload is much higher than a local police zone can tolerate. This is simply impossible and unacceptable.”
Step up efforts
That is why it was decided to de facto ban almost any nighttime activity in the district concerned. “This is a measure that is taken urgently in response to the seriousness of the facts. He allows our police officers to ensure law and order in the North district in the coming days” explains Cécile Jodogne, . Emir Kir, mayor of the municipality of Sint-Joost-ten-Node, which also forms part of the Noordwijk, also points out the need for the measure. “We have already made tangible efforts by our Police Zone to try to secure this district. We need to step up these efforts even further.”
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Safe environment
Olivier Slosse, the Chief of Police of the Brussels North Police Zone, emphasizes that residents, traders and employees of the various public services are entitled to a safe environment. “The situation that has gradually arisen today offers insufficient guarantees of minimum safety for everyone who is active in the neighbourhood, which is why it is important that additional measures are taken to provide structural answers to this situation, so that everyone can contribute to a safe and secure environment. livable neighbourhood,” it sounds.
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Jodoigne says she has raised the issue at the federal level before. “I have addressed myself orally and in writing to the Ministers of the Interior and Justice and to the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration. The result is totally unsatisfactory,” said Jodoigne. She demands that structural measures be taken quickly for the district.
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