Minister of Home Affairs Bernard Quintin (MR) aims to expand the amount of juvenile police officers to every zone, a quarter of them don't have any at the moment.
He made this statement on Sunday during the programme “De Zevende Dag” (VRT 1) in response to a shocking incident in Anderlecht, where a young person was set on fire.
The minister questioned why young people commit such acts and advocated for a coordinated approach, involving both police and the judiciary. However, he also stressed the role of parents. “I am the Minister of Home Affairs, not the Minister of Parenting,” he added, highlighting the importance of community policing.
Quintin expressed regret that progress on deploying soldiers to support street patrols remains stalled due to links with the issue of detainees sleeping on the ground in prisons. While the protocols between Home Affairs and Defence are ready, implementation would take two weeks once approval is granted. This would involve 45 soldiers for Jewish institutions in Antwerp and 45 soldiers for joint patrols with railway police in Brussels.
On the topic of detainees, Quintin reiterated his party’s opposition to widespread early releases, as proposed by Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). According to Quintin, the solution lies in reducing the number of foreign nationals in prison, who currently represent 43% of the inmate population.
Previously The Brussels Times reported Belgian plans to rent out prison space in Estonia and complexities of proposed deportations of foreign national inmates.
