Police given access to live CCTV footage from stations to tackle crime and nuisance
Police officers will be able to view live CCTV footage taken in and around stations under a new agreement between the federal government and rail operator SNCB/NMBS
Until now, police could only request images from cameras after the fact, for example after an incident had occurred. Viewing the images in real time enables officers to respond more quickly to nuisance or criminal acts in stations.
Interior minister Bernard Quintin said the agreement was based on a strict legal framework for data protection and privacy.
'Crucial step'
“Thanks to real-time images, action can be taken more quickly if, for example, a theft or a fight occurs at a station,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to reduce crime, and this is a crucial step in that direction.”
Almost 130 local police zones will have access to the images. These zones have at least one station in their territory and will be able to view images from those stations.
The images will also be directly accessible to several federal police services, such as emergency control centres, the aviation police and the federal judicial police.
"The ultimate goal is to reduce crime, and this is a crucial step in that direction"
Railway police and Securail, the SNCB’s security service, were already able to view the images in real time.
“We take a lot of security measures ourselves, but the problems we face in stations are often of a social nature. As a train company, we don’t have the resources or the authority to tackle these problems on our own,” said SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Temmerman.
“We need the help of all partners, including the police.”
Public areas
In total, images from around 8,000 fixed cameras in and around stations will be shared. These are all in public places, such as station halls and waiting rooms, platforms, bike parking facilities and car parks.
The approximately 7,000 cameras that SNCB manages on board trains are not covered by the agreement. This may be considered in future, Quintin’s cabinet said.
A press conference to announce the cooperation agreement between the federal police and railway company SNCB/NMBS, 4 September 2025 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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