Brussels Drug Violence Escalates: Mayor Calls for Federal Task Force as Shootings Surge

The prosecutor, during a press conference held on Tuesday, indicated that twenty shootings were recorded this summer, calling for the provision of additional resources to the police and justice system to effectively combat drug trafficking and violence in the Belgian capital. He also deplored the lack of a Brussels policy on health and prevention.

This situation is "worrying", reacted the mayor of Molenbeek who states that "this is not the time to play political games. The time has come to take responsibility." "I welcome his desire to strengthen judicial and police capacities, a message that I have been defending for a long time," said Saliha Raïss, explaining that drug and arms trafficking and crime in Brussels "originate in other major cities in the country."

"It is therefore logical that the federal level keeps its word by creating a task force for Brussels. Let’s be clear: the reinforcement we have received so far is not structural and does not yet correspond to the reality on the ground. We must go further," added the mayor, assuring that "the safety of our residents remains our absolute priority."