Local branches of the Mouvement Réformateur (MR) party will table motions in municipal councils in and around Brussels aimed at getting them more involved in the fight against drug crime.
The motions will seek to get the councils to implement, at the local level, the national emergency measures against drug trafficking made public by Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.
The new initiative was announced on Wednesday by the Interior Minister and David Weytsman, head of the MR chapter for Brussels and surrounding areas.
Crackdowns on colluding establishments
The proposed texts urge municipalities and mayors to make the fight against drug trafficking an absolute priority in local security plans.
They also call for the closure of establishments that disturb public order or are linked to drug dealing.
Other measures include issuing temporary banning orders for identified dealing locations, carrying out integrity checks on high-risk businesses and signing protocols with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to improve information-sharing.
The motions also advocate more coordinated inspections covering town planning, housing, hygiene, taxation and the hospitality sector.
Brighter street lights, stronger cameras, closer coordination
They call for stronger camera networks, better street lighting, improved cleanliness and a more visible public service presence in sensitive neighbourhoods.
The proposals also seek closer coordination between municipalities to stop trafficking being pushed from one area to another.
Additionally, they call for an assessment of prevention policies and the development of proper treatment pathways to help people overcome addiction.
“Faced with drug trafficking, every level of government must play its part,” Mr Quintin said.
Municipalities urged to keep boots on the ground
“For more than a year, the federal government has deployed unprecedented resources," he noted. "Every day, we are mobilising all the forces of the state, including our military, in the heart of the capital.”
Municipalities must also make full use of their powers by maintaining a constant presence on the ground, shutting down premises linked to trafficking and installing surveillance cameras where needed to prevent criminal networks from taking root in neighbourhoods, the minister added.
Mr Weytsman noted, for his part, that municipal motions focused too often on asking other levels of government to act.
“Here, we are asking each municipality to take responsibility,” he said, adding that prevention was essential but should never become “a cover for inaction.”
