Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said fellow authorities should drop their "slogans" and better fund federal police in order to face "real" security concerns in Belgium and Brussels.
"Enough with slogans, we need action!" Close said, citing examples of investment he has made in the local police zone under his competency, the Brussels-Ixelles zone.
"My police zone hired 200 additional police officers, invested in a surveillance camera network and in additional vehicles," he said on Twitter, adding that these investments were still "not enough."
Close's comments coincide with the release of a report by the Federal Police Council which concluded that federal police would be unable to handle any potential future terrorist threats.
"There are no staff reserves and the law is too rigid to shift people from one pillar to the other," the report said.
Close said that local efforts alone could not make up for the years of underinvestment in the federal police force, and said that citizens expected actions instead of posts on social media.
"As I said in April, it is essential to better fund federal police," he said, according to BX1. "Tweets and Facebook posts announcing strong initiatives are one thing. Our citizens expect action."
"Security concerns in our country and in Brussels are real," he added.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
