Police unions are threatening to strike following a controversial directive allowing Antwerp officers to preventively arrest known nuisance offenders for up to 12 hours.
The National Syndicate of Police and Security Personnel (NSPV) issued an ultimatum to Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA) and the local police chief, local media report.
They demand absolute legal guarantees for officers enforcing the newly deployed "claimer-app" system – a database targeting specific individuals even when they are not actively committing an offence.
If these demands remain unmet within five working days, a formal strike notice will follow.
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Union representatives warn that the aggressive measure lacks a viable legal foundation. Officers on the ground fear personal criminal prosecution for unlawful deprivation of liberty if they execute the internal orders.
The socialist union ACOD echoed these operational and moral concerns. Representative Sigi Claes noted the severe strain this directive will place on an already overstretched police force preparing for massive New Year deployments.
Van Doesburg claimed the harsh arrests will push obstinate individuals toward professional assistance, but medical experts firmly reject this logic.
Locking vulnerable people in a police cell for half a day destroys trust rather than building it, Kirsten Catthoor of the Flemish Association for Psychiatry told Gazet Van Antwerpen.
She stressed that forced motivation is an illusion. Effective treatment for complex addiction and mental health issues requires months of empathetic engagement alongside stable housing.
The policy is already impacting vulnerable residents directly. Street pastor Niek Everts told Het Laatste Nieuws of one homeless woman who was recently detained under the new directive while simply walking to an appointment to view a service flat.
