Brussels is not what it once was. A major survey, reviewed by the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, shows that nearly one in five residents feels unsafe in their respective neighborhood, a figure twice as high as the national baseline.
The survey—done by Security Monitor, using a giant representative sample of 150,000 Belgian citizens—showed that around 10% of all Belgians often or always feel unsafe in the area where they live. Flanders (with its right-wing government) seems to be the safest, with only 7% reporting being concerned, contrasted with 13% in the socialist-led Wallonia saying the same.
Brussels, however, is taking the crown with 19% of residents feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods, up from 16% since the last Security Monitor survey was published in 2021. Mostly, the reason for residents feeling unsafe is the steady increase in drug-related crimes,
This three-point increase has not only the local, but also the federal authorities worried, with Interior Minister Bernard Quintin arguing that crime has become a systemic problem that needs a systemic response.
“In some Brussels neighborhoods, [there are] a lot of problems on top of each other: nuisance caused by drugs, intimidation on the streets, damage to vehicles, fly-tipping,” Quintin commented on the findings.
“We need a structural response to that,” he added, once again calling for integrating all six of the city’s police precincts into one joint structure, capable of addressing the problem with “one vision, one strategy.”
But, to be honest, “nuisance caused by drugs” does not really reflect the reality of Brussels’ streets that are being dominated by rival drug gangs, mostly of North African origin.
Shoot-outs between these gangs happen almost weekly, often in broad daylight and sometimes even using military-grade rifles. Bombing each other’s headquarters with makeshift explosives is not uncommon either, and neither is seeing ‘civilians’ get caught in the crossfire.
Despite the alarming trends, the police seem to be helpless. Every few months, you see them cordon off a whole block and conduct a major raid with a hundred officers, arresting a dozen or so gangsters, but others take their place as soon as they leave.
While the federal government believes the police merger could be a viable solution, it’s merely a technical response that doesn’t take into account the city’s rapidly changing ethnic makeup.
It turns out diversity is not a strength, at least not in the EU capital, and it might get a lot worse before it gets better. Right now, 46% of Brussels is foreign-born, while around 80% of minors under 18 come from an immigrant background. Before long, Brussels will no longer be Belgian, and no amount of waffles and beer can help with that.
