2023-10-23 12:10:00
The government also plans to hire five more magistrates at the Brussels public prosecutor’s office as well as 25 additional agents at the capital’s railway police. These announcements were made following the attack in Brussels on October 16, in which two Swedes were killed.
“It is not 50 people who will make the difference,” according to the president of the SLFP Police, Vincent Houssin, “while the police, and especially the federal one, have been reduced to nothing in recent years.” Thus, agents must work in “disaster buildings”, with obsolete equipment and under an unattractive status, salaries having not been updated for 23 years.
“We are always proud to welcome new recruits, but this is presented to us as a major contribution”, whereas it is “a drop in the ocean”, adds the secretary of the CSC Police, Joeri Dehaes, who recalls that the federal police are missing 15.4% of personnel, or 1,940 people. These 50 promised hires are therefore completely insufficient, he concludes.
“We still have to find these people,” adds the president of the SNPS, Carlo Medo. And to warn: if it concerns police officers coming from elsewhere, the shortage will not be eliminated but simply displaced. Whereas if they come from outside, it will take them up to three years before they can be operational within the PJF.
In addition, the number of candidates for police positions is declining, going from 12,000 annually a few years ago to 8,000 today, the unions point out. According to them, this is a consequence of years of savings, which have also led to a problem with the image of the profession.
The police also denounce the government’s “announcement policy”, taking as an example the commitment made by the authorities to hire 100 additional agents at Zaventem airport. “But these never arrived,” insist MM. Medo and Houssin. “With each new government, investments are promised, but we are disappointed each time,” regrets the latter. “This government’s policy statements also promised to make the status of police officer more attractive. In practice, it is quite the opposite.”
Trade union organizations are instead calling for a long-term vision for the police. “We need an action plan that spans several governments. A sort of Octopus agreement (named following this important police reform carried out in 1998 following the Dutroux affair, Editor’s note)”, demands Mr. .Houssin. This is in order to “know where we are going with the police,” adds Mr. Medo.
As for the new Minister of Justice, Paul Van Tigchelt, – Vincent Van Quickenborne having resigned on Friday following it was revealed that a request for extradition of the October 16 terrorist by Tunisia had remained a dead letter – trade unionists recognize his experience and are waiting for “a quick invitation for an interview”.
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