Brussels Mayor Calls for More Police Funding After Officer’s Killing
A public condolence book for Nordine, the police officer killed in a shooting in Brussels, has been opened at Brussels City Hall. The first visitors have signed it, including Brussels Mayor Philippe Close and Tom Van Grieken, leader of the Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang.
Following the fatal shooting, Close is calling on the federal government to provide more resources for the Federal Judicial Police in Brussels. He described the issue as a matter of national urgency.
Speaking on RTBF radio, Close pointed to the growing circulation of illegal weapons, the rise in shootings in Brussels and explosions in Antwerp. He said all levels of government must take responsibility for addressing the problem.
Mayor Wants More Support for Police
Close supports a request from Brussels prosecutor Julien Moinil for 10 additional federal administrative staff members to help the police. The mayor said the request was reasonable and argued that local authorities had already done what they could with the resources available to them.
He also called on Prime Minister Bart De Wever to bring the relevant authorities together to respond to what he described as an emergency.
“We knew tragedies were going to happen,” Close said, referring to the killing of an experienced police officer. He warned that violence was gradually undermining society.
The mayor also called for a broader approach to drug-related crime, including better prevention and public health measures. He questioned why more campaigns were not being launched to discourage young people from using drugs such as cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy.
Close additionally raised concerns about the inspection of shipping containers in Antwerp, an issue that his Socialist Party has highlighted before.
Prosecutor Raises Concerns About Weapons
Brussels Prosecutor General Frédéric Van Leeuw has also warned about the number of dangerous weapons circulating in the capital.
Speaking on VRT Radio 1, he said some weapons reaching Europe originate in Ukraine and Turkey. He expressed concern that weapons supplied during the war in Ukraine could eventually find their way onto the illegal market.
Van Leeuw also pointed to inexpensive weapons manufactured in Turkey that enter the European market. He said authorities were monitoring these developments closely.
He linked the spread of weapons to escalating violence between drug-trafficking groups. According to Van Leeuw, criminal groups are increasingly using public violence to intimidate rivals and assert control over the drug market.
He stressed that additional resources for the justice system are also needed to tackle the problem.
The killing of the officer has renewed calls for stronger cooperation between local and federal authorities to address gun violence, drug trafficking and organized crime in Brussels.
