Molenbeek's acting mayor, Saliha Raïss (Vooruit) urged on Tuesday that the time had come to rise above politics and take responsibility on the issue of drug-related violence in Brussels.
"This is not the time for political games, but for taking responsibility," she said, reacting to the picture painted by Brussels Public Prosecutor Julien Moinil of drug-related violence in the capital.
Speaking at a press conference, Moinil emphasised the need for additional resources to tackle drug trafficking and the associated violence. Among other things, he complained about staff shortages in the police and judiciary, as well as the lack of a health and prevention policy for the capital region.
Raïss said the situation Moinil had described was "disturbing," with 20 shootings this summer alone. "I welcome his willingness to strengthen both judicial and police capacity, a message I have been advocating for a long time," she said.
The drug trafficking, arms trafficking and crime affecting Brussels today "have their origins in other large cities in the country," she added. "It is therefore logical for the federal level to keep its word by setting up a task force for Brussels, as announced."
Raïss then listed several other measures announced by the federal government in addition to the task force appointed by the public prosecutor to respond quickly to shootings. These included a federal ministerial task force coordinated by the Prime Minister, which was announced in February, and the reinforcement of the federal judicial police in Brussels.
"But let's be clear," she cautioned, "the reinforcement we have received so far is not structural and does not yet correspond to the reality on the ground. We must go further."
Raïss called the announcement of weekly meetings to assess the situation ‘a good thing." She also acknowledged that the police presence had been reinforced at “priority” locations, stressing that "the safety of our residents remains our absolute priority."
