Nineteen shooting incidents have already occurred in the Brussels Region this year. This is evident from the answer of Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS) to a question from Brussels Member of Parliament Mathias Vanden Borre (N-VA).
The reason for this question was a shooting in Molenbeek, where unknown perpetrators opened fire on a house on two consecutive nights. An elderly couple was the target of multiple bullets in their living room while at home.
Preliminary figures
These nineteen shooting incidents are part of preliminary figures presented to the Home Affairs Committee on July 18. The trend of single shootings continues month by month. Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS) already reported in June that there had been eight shootings in the first three months of the year.
However, there is some hope that it will be a less violent year compared to 2022. If the number of shooting incidents in the second half of the year remains the same as in the first half, 2023 will still be an improvement on the previous year. Then the Brussels region was confronted with a record number of 46 shootings. Some were reportedly related to drug crime.
Drug plan
Action is being taken to address the problem. At the request of the federal minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), the police services have drawn up a Brussels drugs plan. Various working groups are currently working on the elaboration of this plan, as Vervoort has indicated. The mayors and chiefs of police of the municipalities involved also signed the new architectural plan of the Canal Plan in February.
There has been some criticism of the implementation of the Canal Plan, particularly with regard to the recruitment of additional police personnel. Vanden Borre has expressed concern about the slow pace at which this is happening. To date, only 34 of the promised 88 full-time equivalents have been hired at the Brussels Federal Judicial Police.
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