Belgium’s Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said the recent wave of shootings in Brussels shows the fight against drug-related crime must continue with determination.
Speaking on Radio 1’s De Ochtend on Tuesday, Quintin described the incidents as “totally unacceptable”.
Shots were fired on Monday evening in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles for the third consecutive day. It was the sixth similar incident in Brussels in just a few days, following other shootings in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Anderlecht.
Despite the violence, Quintin said the incidents were also a sign that efforts against drug crime were having an effect. “This shows it is working, and we must keep going,” he said, while warning that the battle would be a long-term one.
The minister also insisted he had strengthened the federal judicial police in Brussels. His comments came after Saint-Gilles mayor Jean Spinette criticised the reinforcement of the Brussels federal judicial police and called for “the same resources as Antwerp”.
Quintin rejected the suggestion that Brussels was being treated less favourably than Antwerp. He urged politicians to “stop pointing fingers” and work together, while also stressing the responsibility of local Brussels authorities.
He said he had released €1 million for new cameras in the South police zone, but had since heard that replacing them could take up to two years because of issues involving trees. “That is surely not the fault of the Interior Minister,” he said.
Quintin was due to visit the police station in Anderlecht later on Tuesday. He also said he was available to appear before the House Interior Affairs Committee.
Opposition parties PS and Vlaams Belang have called for the committee to meet so they can question the minister. Vlaams Belang MP and committee chair Ortwin Depoortere said it remained to be seen “which number is greater: the number of bullets flying around, or the broken promises by the government to do something about it. The committee must meet over this.”
