Ten minors accused of serious offences, including assaults, extortion, and drug trafficking, were released after their arrests due to a lack of available spaces.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office is once again calling out the lack of youth protection institutions and the absence of alternative educational measures for minors who commit criminal offences.
Three incidents occurred on 11 April. In Leuven, three minors attacked at least three individuals with a knife and a stick, stealing valuable items.
At Nivelles train station, four minors, previously known for violent behaviour, threatened a victim with a knife to steal their phone. One of them had run away from a youth protection institution.
In the Northern Quarter of Brussels, three more minors were apprehended for drug dealing and making threats.
The ten suspects, aged 16 and 17, were subject to the Brussels French-speaking youth court’s jurisdiction but were released as requests to place them in youth protection facilities could not be fulfilled due to a lack of space.
Attempts to use mobile educational support teams also failed due to excessively long waiting times.
Currently, 162 French-speaking youths are on the waiting list for placement in closed youth institutions, while 98 others are awaiting support from mobile teams in Brussels, according to the prosecutor.
"The hope of reducing gun violence under such circumstances is unrealistic. Promises of action from political figures, like those after the 2006 murder of Joe Van Holsbeek, are no longer credible. Immediate action is needed," the prosecutor concluded.
