2023-12-26 13:26:00
Federal police officers no longer have a route to train and retrain for fast driving. The problem was discussed a few weeks ago in Committee in the House. “This concerns a thousand police officers per year”, indicates Eddy Quaino, permanent CGSP-Police. “Those who use so-called offensive rapid speed are especially penalized. The DAP which takes charge of all specialized protection missions, the road police which must act on the motorways, the Special Units… This affects the training in functional driving of fast vehicles or driving a vehicle in emergency situation.”
Eddy Quaino, permanent CGSP-Police: “If we don’t allow police officers to train on a closed circuit, we are taking risks.”
Until now, federal police officers trained and trained on the Berg circuit located in Kampenhout in Flemish Brabant. But the rental contract (the concession more precisely) was not renewed. “The option of the Andenne circuit was put on the table for a while but it stalled. There is no more money for that,” continues the trade unionist. “The Secretary of State for the Buildings Authority (Editor’s note: Mathieu Michel) no longer has the means to rent land. The federal government is missing 28 million to ensure the rental of all its public buildings, only those of the federal police. Which itself is financially similar to a bloodless organization, in liquidation, without the possibility of financing a Plan B on its own. Without the possibility of continuing the training on the circuit, the police officers will only have a theoretical version and a part of practical training organized this time on the road. There is no longer a training ground. And police officers are asked to train in this driving of fast vehicles on public roads.”
A police officer seriously injured following a chase in Schaerbeek
So this is where they will practice skidding or putting their car sideways. Not ideal, quite the contrary. “If we don’t allow them to train on a closed circuit, we run the risk of accidents.”
The Berg circuit also welcomed police officers from local areas, “in particular intervention services which practice so-called defensive rapid speed. But there wasn’t room for everyone anyway.”
Nine police officers injured during chase in Flanders
As a result, many local areas were able to anticipate by renting infrastructure at their own expense. The Des Arches police zone, for example, has entered into a private partnership to use the circuit in Andenne. Namur also found a similar solution. An area of the province of Luxembourg relies on military infrastructure.
1703606055
#police #exasperated #longer #training #circuit #fast #driving #money #risk #accidents
