Prime Minister Charles Michel (MR) has made the return to work all about security. The measures his government wants to put in place were listed in Le Soir and the Sudpresse papers on Saturday. “We will reinforce our security, which protects our freedom and way of life”, he said. He added he was in favour of preventative intervention.
The Prime Minister has announced the legislation on CCTV will be adapted, and lay out “the circumstances in which you can use these cameras as a preventative measure, and as part of an investigation”.
The liberal is also considering giving security companies bigger roles, and using them to support the police. “I think that in some cases we will have to give private agents permission to open bags, at festivals for example, so they can check them for weapons”, he said.
Among other things, he is looking into the creation of a building surveillance unit, as “military personnel cannot stay on the streets to keep an eye on important sites and buildings forever”. Police and military personnel could be moved to this unit.
When asked about the burkini, the Prime Minister said drawing up a bill on this would be “difficult, technically and practically”, even though it could be banned in some cases. Charles Michel is in favour of local intervention: “if ostentatious signs are used to provoke and that creates problems, mayors have to be able to intervene”, he argues.
(Source: Belga)
