Belgium’s federal cabinet has approved, at first reading, a package of measures to step up the fight against organised crime and strengthen national security, including better protection for the identities of magistrates and prison staff.
Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden said the decisions were taken overnight from Friday to Saturday. The draft measures will now be submitted for advice to the relevant authorities before moving forward.
Part of the prison workforce will in future be able to identify themselves not by name but by a unique identification number. Verlinden said this would improve staff safety without undermining the professional running of prisons.
Investigating judges, public prosecutors and court clerks working on cases involving terrorism, criminal organisations, serious threats to state security or international crimes will also be given stronger identity protection. Their personal data will be shielded during investigations through a specific coding system.
The government said the changes are intended to reduce the risk of prison and judicial staff becoming targets of intimidation, threats or reprisals from criminal networks.
The cabinet also wants to curb abuse of recusal procedures by modernising and tightening the rules. Within prisons, the response to organised crime will be reinforced through the creation of specialised units for high-risk inmates with links to criminal organisations, where a stricter detention regime will apply.
Further work is also being carried out on a system that would require people convicted of serious drug trafficking, human trafficking and organised crime offences to contribute to the cost of their detention. Verlinden said the principle was clear: those who make substantial profits from serious crime should also help cover the cost their imprisonment imposes on society, while compensation for victims would remain the priority.
The government also plans to act against so-called shadow fleets that evade international rules and are increasingly used to circumvent sanctions or facilitate illegal activity. Under the proposal, operating merchant ships without a valid nationality or flag would become explicitly punishable in Belgian waters.
Finally, the plans include tougher criminal offences and sanctions targeting the trade in travel and identity documents.
