Some 46 people were arrested on Thursday during a large police operation in the neighbourhood around the North Station, according to the Brussels North police on Friday.
In total, there were 43 administrative arrests and three judicial arrests.
"This type of operation is part of the North District action plan for our zone, which has several objectives," said police spokesperson Katlien Breugelmans. "In particular, the aim is to have a concrete and visible impact on the problems in the North District, but also to ensure the security of public spaces."
The authorities further hoped to "increase the sense of safety among local residents, traders and regular users of the district, enabling the services and partners on the ground to operate in complete safety," added Breugelmans.
In addition to the Brussels North police, the Federal police, the Brussels Capital/Ixelles police zone and the Brussels South police zone also participated in the operation. A total of 120 police officers were deployed.
"Thursday's operation focused on a section of Rue d'Aerschot that has been identified by the local police as particularly problematic because of the frequent occurrence of violent crimes, particularly violent thefts, and drug offences. The operation went off without incident," the police spokesperson added.
