Hasselt prison officers to strike on Thursday and Friday

Hasselt prison officers to strike on Thursday and Friday
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck

Prison officers at Hasselt prison will go on strike for two days from Wednesday evening until 22:00 on Friday, the General Union of Public Services (CGSP) confirmed on Sunday. The action will denounce difficult working conditions after the discovery of mobile phones, drugs and knives during a prison search in early March.

"We want a stricter policy on drugs and weapons, and we demand more security," said trade unionist Kristof Muyters.

After the large-scale operation, investigators from the Limburg Federal Judicial Police searched three addresses in Beringen, Lummen and Zonhoven. Three prison officers were arrested on suspicion of passive corruption and questioned by the police.

One of them was brought before an examining magistrate, before being released. The search of the Hasselt prison was part of a judicial investigation into passive corruption.

“The search mainly focused on the issue of telecommunication and more specifically on mini mobile phones – very small devices of about 4 centimetres. There was sufficient reason to believe that some of these objects would be circulating inside the prison walls. However, they were not found,” Limburg prosecutor Marijke Teunis said on Thursday.


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.