Following a wave of violence in the Mons station area, local authorities have passed a new decree banning gatherings of more than five people, RTBF reports.
On 13 July, in the area in front of the station, the police reported that two gunshots were heard in the neighbourhood. A short while earlier, a violent knife fight had also erupted on an adjacent street.
In response to the spike in violent incidents, municipal authorities say that they want to "clean up the neighbourhood."
Now, gatherings of more than five people are prohibited. According to the decree, police services can now carry out heightened surveillance activities and systematic stop-checks of vehicles and their occupants in this area, and the nearby areas.
Some local establishments may also be subject to police raids. The measure will last for a duration of two months, before being reviewed and possibly extended.
"The objective is clear… I want to clean up the station area from traffic and deploy a policy of harassment of those who have nothing to do with this part of the city," Mayor Nicolas Martin explained in a press release. "These are strong measures, but I want to give the police all possible means to restore a normal situation in the neighbourhood."
These new measures are in addition to other regulations adopted since 13 July. Since then, the police presence around the station has been reinforced. These include personnel from the special intervention group of the Mons police and a dog squad. These police officers have already conducted 86 identity checks and 19 vehicle searches.
