At least 26 firearms, dozens of bulletproof vests and hundreds of ID cards have been lost or stolen from the Belgian police forces over the past five years, revealed an investigation by VRT.
The actual figures may be higher, VRT reports. Due to poor record-keeping, the police cannot say with certainty how much equipment has gone missing, where it ended up, or whether it was ever recovered.
As a result, the 26 "missing firearms" – from machine guns to revolvers – may be a significant underestimate, and the figures are disputed by VRT's contacts within the police.
Data from the federal police show that other materials, equipment and non-lethal weapons are also going missing: 174 batons, 467 ID cards and 57 communication devices, such as radios, were lost or stolen between 2021 and 2025.
Federal MP Matti Vandemaele (Groen) is also critical. “I have put the figures to my sources within the police. They indicate that they cannot be correct."
"A single report may cover multiple firearms," he said. "Nobody knows exactly how many weapons are missing. The problem is bigger than we think, and information is not being shared openly.”
