The Security Management Unit (DAB, Direction de la Sécurisation) opened 1 January, is still far from having recruited the necessary staff, De Tijd published on Thursday. Rather than the planned 1,600 officers, only 658 have been hired.
The DAB is responsible for various security tasks: surveillance of sensitive places such as nuclear power plants, Zaventem airport, the royal palace, NATO headquarters, or moving prisoners, etc. But the figures communicated by Minister of the Interior Pieter de Crem (CD & V, Flemish Christian Democrats) to the PS (Socialist party) Deputy Nawal Ben Hamou highlighted a crucial lack of staff.
More than half of the unit’s employees had been transferred to the police from the former Justice Security Forces. Only 32 soldiers chose to join this police service.
It would be more because of its “public image” rather than due to a budgetary problem, according to the union representative Carlo Medo (SNPS, Police national union).
The Brussels Times
