Government gives green light to merger of six Brussels police zones
The federal government has given the green light to the draft law enabling the merger of the six Brussels police zones. The reform will be accompanied by an investment of 55 million euros over five years to set up the new zone, announced interior minister Bernard Quintin after Friday's council of ministers. The merger should be operational in the first half of 2027.
The new zone will have a unified command and will operate on the basis of an overarching security vision for the entire Brussels-Capital Region. This vision will be determined by the 19 Brussels mayors, in collaboration with the judicial authorities within the police college.
"This merger will give the people of Brussels the security they deserve"
“After more than 15 years of discussions, the time has finally come: Brussels will have a single police zone,” stated minister Quintin. “This is a historic step forward - for greater security and trust. This merger will give the people of Brussels the security they deserve, offer Flemish people a safe place to work in the capital and allow everyone to enjoy Brussels with confidence and peace of mind.”
In practice, the police college will decide on the distribution of personnel. Guarantees will be built into the law to ensure a balanced representation of large and small municipalities. Proximity will also be guaranteed: each municipality will have neighbourhood police officers, accessible police stations and appropriate opening hours. This is a concession to Brussels mayors who fear that proximity will be compromised by a merger of the police zones.
The reform will be accompanied by an investment of 55 million euros over five years to start up the new zone. In addition, there will be incentives for other police zones in the country that want to merge before December 2029.
Rectify historical underfunding
At the same time, minister Quintin is working on a reform of the so-called KUL standard, the benchmark that determines the level of federal funding for each police zone. This standard is currently outdated and no longer in line with the growth of the Brussels population, which means that the Brussels police zones are underfunded. “The aim is to finance local police zones on the basis of their actual needs and to rectify historical underfunding,” the minister explained.
Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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