Flemish liberals call for the outsourcing of police duties

A 20-point plan, presented by the Flemish liberal party Open VLD, focuses on outsourcing a number of police tasks so that the police can concentrate on their core tasks. After the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 16 March 2016, the government and the parliament had already strengthened security, but with the 20-point plan, Open VLD wants to continue this effort even further.

To allow the police to focus on its core responsibilities, a number of tasks, like monitoring buildings and detecting and processing traffic violations, could be outsourced to private security services.

They want a better-organised police force, with voluntary fusions between police zones and a unified police zone in Brussels.

Furthermore, Open VLD wants mayors to be given more leeway in tackling crime, a more effective implimentation of prison sentences, and for all prisons to be modernized by 2030.

The party also wants to increase the penalty for participating in terrorist activities. Minister of Justice Koen Geens (CD&V) immediately said via Twitter that the increase in punishment will be voted on this week in the final parliamentary plenary session before the elections in May.

Dat treft, in de laatste zitting van het parlement deze week wordt de wet “diverse strafbepalingen” gestemd: strafbaarstelling van terrorisme en deelname eraan worden daarin verzwaard @cdenv #justitie https://t.co/zkPzpDxjTj

— Koen Geens (@Koen_Geens1) April 23, 2019

Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times